Sometimes Love Is Right In Front Of You Part 2
by daxy
Summary: Continuation of part 1 WITH male pregnancy. Part 1 continues WITHOUT mpreg. SLASH
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Continuation of part 1 WITH male pregnancy. Part 1 continues WITHOUT mpreg. SLASH**

**Rating: M **

**Warning: Male pregnancy, gay sex and lots and lots of love, hehe.**

**AN: I'm not sure exactly how far to take the pregnancy thing; as far as the actual birth goes. But I hope you all like it! **

_**This is continuation of part one from chapter 13. So if you haven't read the first 13 chapters of part one, then you should.**_

**-I-**

Horatio woke up to someone leaving soft kisses on his chest down towards his stomach and then up again. He grinned and opened his eyes; still feeling tired after two nights full of mind-blowing sex.

Mac saw him wake up and smiled. He bent down to give his lover a soft kiss on the lips and then rested some of his weight against him.

"Good morning." Mac smiled, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"You, but I'm still sore from last night and the night before that." Horatio yawned, "And I'm tired."

"I know how to fix it." Mac winked.

Horatio felt his lover's hardening erection pressed against his naked body and Mac once against started kissing his chest. Going down to his stomach and finally Horatio's growing manhood. Horatio closed his eyes as he felt Mac's tongue gently lick the head of his erection. Mac slid his hands out to the sides toward Horatio's hands and entwined their fingers.

Horatio opened his eyes and looked into the younger man's passionate eyes.

"Let me give you a real wakeup call." Mac winked.

He took the older man's erect length into his mouth and smiled when he heard the redhead cry out in pleasure. Horatio tried to wiggle his hands free from Mac's grip, but the ex-marine wouldn't let him.

Mac slowly enveloped Horatio's whole length, going from the head to the base. His lips wrapped around Horatio made the older man thrust gently. Mac let him do it and moaned.

He loved to feel the weight of Horatio's erection against his tongue and he gently licked at the head of the older man's member, making him cry out and arch his back.

"Oh god, Mac!"

Horatio pressed his head back against the pillow and shut his eyes tightly. He could feel his climax building up. Mac gently sucked on the head of the throbbing member and let his tongue slide against the sensitive skin; tasting his lover's pre-cum.

His teeth gently graced against Horatio's length and the older man moaned loudly. Mac knew he was close and his lover was unable to stop his thrusts when Mac started fondling his balls.

"Mac, uh!"

Horatio tried to hold back, but he started thrusting faster into his lover's mouth. Mac let him and prepared himself as much as he could.

"Uh, ah god!"

Horatio came with a cry deep down his lover's throat and Mac swallowed everything the older man had to give. Horatio panted and smiled.

Mac kissed him deeply.

"Better?" He asked.

"I am definitely awake now." Horatio chuckled and abruptly sat up.

He froze for a moment and then rushed to the bathroom. Mac followed him and winced when he heard his lover throw up. Horatio was bent over the toilet and Mac sat down next to him; drawing small circles on his lower back with his hand.

Horatio drew in a deep breath before he once again vomited. Mac felt concern rise within him and he felt sorry for his lover as he watched the older man take deep breaths.

"Sorry." Horatio sighed, "I just… it- it came out of nowhere."

"It's okay. We all get sick sometimes." Mac said, "Feel better?"

"Yeah."

Horatio stood up and went with his lover to the kitchen after putting some clothes on. They had breakfast and soon after Horatio was right back in the bathroom, once again bent over the toilet with Mac by his side.

"Dammit, I can't get sick." Horatio muttered and closed his eyes for a moment.

Mac chuckled, "You can't choose when to get sick, love."

"I know. But I should be able to." Horatio gave Mac a small smile.

This wasn't how Horatio wanted to end his weekend in New York. He and Mac had had a great weekend. They had just come out to his team and they had reacted great. They were happy for their boss.

Now, he had to go home sick and he did not look forward to leaving.

**-I-**

The next morning (when Horatio was back in Miami) he was once again in the bathroom, throwing up. He had done it straight after coming home from the airport the day before too and it was beginning to take its toll on the Miami CSI. He was tired and couldn't keep the little food he ate inside his body.

He couldn't count the number of times he had thrown up since waking up an hour earlier or after coming home yesterday.

"Has to be some sort of virus." He said to himself.

When it seemed as if it was over for now he went back to the bedroom and dialed Calleigh's number on his cell phone.

"Duquesne." She said as she picked up.

"Calleigh, it's Horatio. Listen, I'm not coming in today. I think I have the stomach flu."

"That doesn't sound very nice. You haven't been sick since… well; it's been a long time." Calleigh said, "I'll tell the rest of the team and you just relax and get better, okay?"

"I will." Horatio smiled and hung up.

He knew he could expect a visit from Alexx during the day; she would without a doubt check up on him to see how he was doing. Horatio sighed and managed to get fifteen minutes of rest before he was off to the bathroom again.

And as he had thought Alexx visited during lunch, by that time Horatio was doing much better and he actually got to keep his lunch down in his stomach.

"I can't believe the food finally stayed in me." He sighed as he lied down on the couch.

"Good for you. But I still think you should stay home tomorrow as well." Alexx said, "And you shouldn't sleep on the couch."

Horatio sighed and went to the bedroom. Alexx was in a real mother hen mode and refused to leave before she had tucked him. She kissed his brow and then smiled as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Try to get some sleep, okay baby?"

"I will Alexx. As tired as I am I don't think it will be a problem." Horatio yawned.

Alexx smiled and left. She locked the front door with the extra key she had. Horatio fell asleep the moment he heard the door close.

**-I-**

Even though his lover insisted that he was fine Mac couldn't help but to feel worried. He wanted to fly down to Miami just to hold his lover, but New York had been struck by another serial killer and he couldn't get the time off that he wanted.

"Mac, it's just the stomach flu. I'm fine." Horatio said on the phone.

"I still think I should be down there with you." Mac sighed, "And now I sound like a mother hen."

"A very sexy mother hen who I happen to love." Horatio grinned.

He was sitting on his couch watching TV. Mac was on his way from work. Horatio sounded okay on the phone, but Mac knew he hated to be sick.

"Have you managed to eat anything?" Mac asked.

"Yes. In fact it's not so bad during the evenings." Horatio said, "I hate how tired this makes me though and that it causes me to have to stay home."

"I thought you loved staying at home?" Mac teased.

"Yes, with _you_. Not all by myself."

"I wish I could be down there with you." Mac sighed.

"Love, don't worry. Just hearing your voice makes me feel better." Horatio smiled.

Mac heard his lover yawn and knew he needed to rest.

"Horatio, you're tired and should be sleeping."

"I've slept all day."

"Well, you're sick so that's normal." Mac said, "Go to bed and I will tuck you in."

Horatio chuckled and stood up. He dragged his feet to the bedroom and lied down in bed. He could hear Mac's keys as he entered his apartment.

"Are you in bed yet?" Mac asked.

"Yes. The only thing missing is a warm, naked body pressed against me. Hopefully with an erection too." Horatio smirked.

Mac swallowed hard and growled playfully. His lover knew just how to tease him.

"I can't believe you're thinking about sex right now, imp." Mac chuckled.

"I want to return the favor of the wakeup call I got this weekend."

"You can do that next time I come down." Mac smiled and took off his shoes and jacket.

He went to his living room and heard Horatio yawn again.

"Okay, so do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?" Mac grinned.

"Yes, sir."

"Once upon a time there was a-"

"Mac?"

"Yes, love?" Mac smirked.

"You are so adorable when you get into your mother hen mode." Horatio smiled and yawned, "I really am tired."

"You sound surprised."

"I am."

"Yeah, because yawning for the third time isn't a sign of being tired." Mac chuckled.

"You mean that is connected?" Horatio asked, pretending to not know.

"Yes, love they are."

"I love it when you call me that." Horatio grinned.

"If I recall correctly, you call me that sometimes too." Mac said, "And I love it when you do."

"Good. I'm not planning on stopping." Horatio said, "Okay, goodnight Mac."

"Goodnight, Horatio. I love you."

"I love you too."

They hung up and Mac slumped down in his couch. Hopefully Horatio would be feeling much better tomorrow.

_**Please review!**_

**_I was actually wondering if you all want some sort of "natural birth" for the male pregnancy or if it should all be done by c-section? Or something else, lol?_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

"Elvis, piss off!" Horatio growled.

He was once again bent over the toilet throwing up his breakfast and he was getting sick of it. For a week this had been going on and it caused him to eat less (since it only came back up anyway) and get more agitated at work. He snapped at everyone, even his lover. What made him more pissed was that everyone was nagging him to see the doctor. Horatio hated going to the doctor, he just couldn't do it.

Obviously something was wrong, but it was just morning sickness! Okay, morning sickness that lasted all the way to the evening, then it stopped and he just felt nauseous, but didn't throw up. But it was probably just the stomach flu, Horatio was quite sure of it.

Elvis rubbed against Horatio's leg and Horatio growled. The cat just didn't understand that his master wasn't in the mood to cuddle with him. Or maybe he was trying to make him feel better.

"Elvis!" Horatio exclaimed.

But the cat continued rubbing against his leg and purred. Horatio sighed and flushed the toilet before standing up. He had to be at work soon. He looked at himself in the mirror and winced. He looked almost ten years older and liked he was a zombie. He knew that the women on the team would be ganging up on him today and once again beg him to go see the doctor.

He got dressed in his suit and scratched Elvis a second or two before going out the door for work. He felt so tired; probably because he wasn't eating properly. But who felt like eating when you had to run to the bathroom all the time? Even if he skipped eating he was still bent over the toilet, emptying whatever was or wasn't in his stomach.

"You look like hell." Was the first thing Frank said when he met the redhead in the elevator.

"You are such a nice man, Frank." Horatio rolled his eyes.

"Seriously H, you need to get checked up."

Horatio sighed. He had always hated going to the doctor. Maybe it was because he had spent so much time in the hospital as a kid due to his father's abuse or because he just didn't like being examined by some stranger.

"You're worrying all of us, H." Frank said.

"I know." Horatio sighed.

The two men stepped out of the elevator and walked to the lab break room. Usually Frank would be at the homicide department but since he was working a case with Eric he decided to just start his day at the lab. The team was family after all and what better way to begin the day then to have breakfast coffee with them?

Ryan and Eric were already in the room as the two older men entered and they glanced at each other as they saw Horatio's haggard appearance. They were really worried about him. As far as they knew Horatio had never been sick a day in his life and now it seemed as if he wasn't getting past his stomach flu; if it even was the flue and not something else.

After some coffee Horatio cheered up a bit and asked Ryan if he had found anything new in the case that they were working on with Calleigh. It was clear that Horatio was all about business and not willing to discuss his current health problems.

**-I-**

"Love, I know you can take care of yourself." Mac sighed as Horatio once again defended himself with one of his "I-can-take-care-of-myself-thank-you"- speeches. Mac had been listening to it every day since his lover had gotten sick.

He knew Horatio was on edge and he wasn't making it any better by constantly asking him see a doctor, but he was worried. What kind of a lover would he be if he didn't worry about the man he loved when he was obviously sick?

"Mac, I just… I can't go to a doctor. You know that." Horatio sighed.

"I know." Mac said.

He knew about the redhead's violent childhood and his fear of doctors and hospitals. How he hated it because he felt weak if he was a patient.

"I'm only asking you to get examined because I'm worried and I love you." Mac said, "I can fly down and be with you if you want."

"Will your boss let you?"

Mac bit the inside of his cheek. Sinclair was not happy that Mac always flew out of town once a month and therefore couldn't be available if he needed it. And since Mac wasn't supposed to fly down until next weekend and Sinclair was being an asshole and not letting him take any more extra days, he really couldn't fly down to Miami. Unless it was an emergency.

"I guess he won't, huh?" Horatio said, taking Mac's silence as a no.

"He's being an ass." Mac growled.

"Have Stella give him a tongue-lashing."

Mac chuckled, "She wouldn't. She'd just shot him and hide the body."

"I could have Alexx call him."

Now that caused Mac to laugh out loud; the image of Alexx Woods, someone Sinclair had no idea who it was, calling him and telling him to give Mac some extra days off would be hilarious.

"I'm afraid he'll have my head on a plate if I let her do that." Mac said.

"I'll save you." Horatio smiled.

"I know, love." Mac said and then turned serious again, "Will you please call a doctor and make an appointment? I'm sure someone from the team can go with you if you need the support."

"I'm a grown man I should be able to do it by myself." Horatio growled, but not because he was angry at Mac. He was angry at himself for still being afraid of hospitals.

After spending his childhood in them so many times and having to lie to the doctors about where he got the bruises and the broken bones from, he just couldn't go there without feeling as if he was a scared child again, with his father's eyes burning into him as the doctor asked how he got his bruises, how he broke his ribs, his arm or something else. He just couldn't do it without being afraid.

"Sometimes even grown men need support." Mac said, "Please love?"

Horatio sighed in defeat and Mac knew he had finally won the week-long argument.

"Okay. I will call a doctor." Horatio said, "But I'm only doing it because you want me to and because I love you too."

"Thank you." Mac said.

A few minutes later Horatio had to hang up and go back to work. Mac was still on lunch and his lab was running slow because they had no new cases, which was a nice break for a change.

"Busy?" Sheldon asked as he stood in the doorway.

He had seen Mac on the phone earlier and had decided to wait.

"Yeah, come on in." Mac said.

Sheldon nodded and walked over to Mac's desk. He handed him a file on a cold case that he had run some test for trace on.

"You found a piece of evidence we could use." Mac said, "Good work Sheldon."

"Yeah, when this murder occurred they didn't have all the nice machines we got today." Sheldon said, "I think we might be a step closer to finding the killer."

Mac nodded. He liked being able to close cold cases. It was a rewarding feeling to know that a victim of a crime could finally get some peace of mind and that their families finally got closure.

Sheldon smiled and turned to leave.

"Sheldon." Mac said and Sheldon stopped and turned to face his boss.

"Yeah?"

"If someone is throwing up from early morning to late afternoon or early evening every day, what could it be caused by?" Mac asked.

Sheldon took a deep breath and sat down on the chair across Mac's desk.

"A virus like the stomach flu or some other virus, a bacteria. Almost anything." Sheldon said, "How long has this person been throwing up?"

Sheldon didn't have to be told that the person Mac was talking about was probably Horatio. Mac had been on edge about something the whole week and it most likely had something to do with his lover.

"Every day for a week now." Mac said.

"Okay, if it's the stomach flu he'd be throwing up all the time. So it could be some sort of virus or bacteria. Although, he still should be vomiting all day, not just until the evening."

"He?"

"I'm guessing that we're talking about Horatio."

Mac smiled, Sheldon was a CSI of course and he should have known it wouldn't be too hard to figure out who Mac was talking about.

"Yes."

"He's been doing this for a whole week?" Sheldon asked to be sure.

"Yeah."

"Well, he better get checked up then. It could be a virus, but I doubt it. The most probable cause I can think of would be pregnancy, but he'd probably know if he was able to get pregnant and so he should have already thought of that." Sheldon said.

Mac was stunned by the word _pregnant_. Male pregnancy was nothing unusual, but was Horatio one of those men that could get pregnant? If he was, did he know it?

"But if he hasn't mentioned it then it's probably not that." Sheldon said.

"Thanks, Sheldon." Mac said still shocked.

Sheldon smiled and left. Mac left alone with his thoughts. Could Horatio really be pregnant?

**-I-**

"He finally called the doctor?" Calleigh asked surprised.

Everyone except Alexx, Frank and Horatio were in the break room having some coffee after their shift. The others had gone home already.

"Yeah, that's what he said just as Alexx was about to give him another tongue-lashing for being so stubborn and refusing to get examined." Ryan said, "It's about time he called."

"So when is his appointment?" Calleigh asked.

"Tomorrow." Ryan said.

He and Horatio had been working on their case when Alexx had entered the trace lab and Horatio had told her about his doctor's appointment. So naturally Ryan had heard it since he had been in the same room.

"I'm glad he's finally going. I think maybe Mac got through to him." Eric said.

"Me too." Calleigh said, "I hope it's not something serious though."

"It's probably just a severe case of the stomach flu." Eric shrugged.

"Delko, if you have the flu your throw up constantly. It doesn't stop in the evenings." Ryan said.

"Okay Doctor Wolfe." Eric teased, "So what do you think it is?"

"A virus. Something other than the flu virus." Ryan shrugged.

"Maybe he picked something up in New York last weekend." Calleigh suggested.

"He was born and raised there Cal, shouldn't he have been sick by whatever bacteria he picked up way earlier then?" Ryan asked.

"Bacteria can travel far, Ryan." Calleigh pointed out, "It could be something from another country that he ended up getting in New York."

"Okay, good point." Ryan said.

"Any other theories Doctor Wolfe?" Eric asked and smirked when Ryan rolled his eyes.

"Yes, as a matter of fact Delko, he could be pregnant."

Calleigh and Eric looked at him as if he had suggested something impossible.

"He could be." Eric said after a while, "My cousin Enrique got pregnant two years ago with his boyfriend."

"Really? Did he have the same signs as Horatio?" Calleigh asked.

"No, but that's the way it is with both male and female pregnancies sometimes right? Some have all the signs, others have none." Eric said.

"True. Wow, can you imagine Horatio with a baby bump?"

Ryan and Eric paused and then burst out laughing. Calleigh looked confused at them. Seeing pregnant men were common so why would it be so funny to see Horatio pregnant?

"What?" She asked confused, "Would that be funny?"

"It's not that. I was just thinking about the hormones that come with a pregnancy." Eric chuckled, "Can you imagine H with mood swings and cravings?"

"And poor Mac will be the one who gets to take all the mood swings." Ryan smiled, "It would be so funny to see how the tough New Yorker handles that."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here." Calleigh said, "The pregnancy theory fits, but it doesn't mean that's what it is."

"Yeah, I mean H would have told us if he was able to get pregnant." Eric said.

"Yeah, of course he would have." Ryan agreed.

"Unless he doesn't know." Calleigh shrugged.

"Horatio knows everything." The men pointed out.

_**Please review!**_

**And if you have any name suggestions you can share them if you want. I haven't decided on a name for the baby yet.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews! And an especially big **_**thank you**_** for ALISA123 for helping with the male pregnancy. You'll all get the facts in this chapter and please remember that this is fiction, lol.**

**-I-**

Horatio splashed some water in his face and sighed. He had thrown up at work… again. Luckily his doctor's appointment was today and he hoped to get some answers. He was at work early, well earlier than he usually was and he usually was there before everybody else. He couldn't sleep and it hadn't gotten any better when Elvis had demanded that he'd cuddle with him in the middle of the night. The cat was crazy.

Mac had suggested that Elvis was just looking after his master and that he could sense that Horatio was sick, but the redhead didn't quite buy it. His bad mood caused him to think negative about everything, and he was sure that Elvis woke him up in the middle of the night on purpose.

Horatio left the men's room and walked to his office; he was surprised to find Alexx there waiting for him.

"Hi Alexx. What brings you here at five in the morning?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Alexx said.

"I couldn't sleep."

"I'm driving you to your doctor later."

"Alexx-"

"Don't Alexx me; you're too tired to drive." Alexx said firmly, with a tone that didn't allow any room for argument.

"Okay." Horatio sighed and entered his office.

Alexx stayed with him like a hawk and forced him to eat breakfast. She even stayed with him when the breakfast came back up and he had to rush to the men's room again. She was in full mother hen mode, and there was no stopping her from taking care of her oldest baby as she called him.

When the time finally came for Horatio to go to his doctor, Alexx drove him and even waited outside the room for him, so she could drive him back. The doctor, a young woman named Melinda Carter, did a quick exam since she was fairly sure what was wrong with her patient.

"I suspect that you might be pregnant." Doctor Carter said.

"Pregnant?" Horatio exclaimed.

"Yes. You have all the signs of a pregnancy."

"I can't get pregnant."

"Why not?"

"I just can't." Horatio said, "I would know if I could get pregnant."

"Some men never find out if they can." Doctor Carter smiled, "Let me take a blood sample, it's the best way to find out if you are indeed pregnant."

Horatio nodded and just let Doctor Carter to whatever she needed to prove that he was _not_ pregnant. He couldn't be. But if he was… what would Mac say?

**-I-**

Doctor Carter had said that the test would take a few hours but that she had put on top of the list, so he should get an answer by the end of the day. Horatio couldn't focus. Her words were stuck on his mind; _pregnant. I suspect you might be pregnant_.

Horatio shook his head and tried to read the file on his desk. He just couldn't be pregnant. He couldn't. He had always wanted children, but never thought he could get pregnant. He should know, if he could get pregnant.

When he had told Alexx about the Doctor Carter's suspicion, she had agreed with her. Alexx admitted that that had been on her mind the last couple of days, but she hadn't wanted to jump to conclusions. Now the news spread through the team, luckily not the whole lab because if it did then soon the entire department would know about Doctor Carter's theory of Lieutenant Caine being pregnant.

"Lunch." Frank said and smirked as Horatio nearly jumped out of his skin.

Frank put a sandwich on the desk and then sat down on the guest chair across Horatio's desk with his own sandwich. Horatio looked at the lunch Frank had bought for him. The mere thought of eating made him nauseous and he sighed.

"Eat. Even if you throw it up later you have to eat." Frank said and took a big bite out of his sandwich.

Horatio picked up his lunch and took a tiny, tiny bite out of it. Frank chuckled.

"It's not going to bite back."

Horatio smiled and took a bigger bite. He suddenly felt very hungry, but still knew he'd soon be running to the men's room.

"So, pregnant huh?" Frank asked.

"_Maybe_."

"Yeah, yeah, that's what my ex-wife said every time she got pregnant too." Frank said, "Seriously Horatio, haven't you always wanted kids?"

"Yes."

"So a pregnancy is a good thing."

"What about Mac? We've never discussed it. What if he doesn't want kids?" Horatio said.

"I think I can safely say that I know Mac Taylor well enough to know that he loved children as much as you do." Frank said, "You worry too much. It's not good for the baby."

"Okay, stop saying that!" Horatio snapped, "The doctor _suspects_ that I might be pregnant. Nothing has been confirmed. I'm not going to go shopping for a crib, clothes or toys based on a _suspicion_."

"Alright, you're right. I'm sorry." Frank said.

Horatio sighed and let his head rest again his desk. After eating half of his sandwich he and Frank went to the break room to get some coffee. The rest of the team was there.

"Should you be having coffee if you're-" Ryan started but when Frank shook his head no, he stopped talking.

Horatio clenched his fists as he stood by the coffee machine and sighed heavily.

"_If_ I am pregnant I probably shouldn't have coffee, no. _If_." Horatio said and turned around to face his team.

The look in his eyes told them he really didn't want to discuss his possible pregnancy right now. He jumped when his phone rang and he swallowed hard when he saw Doctor Carter's number on the display.

"Horatio." He answered.

The team watched as Horatio went pale as a ghost. He swayed and Frank grabbed his arm with a concerned look. Suddenly his eyes rolled back and his knees gave out. Frank managed to grab a hold of him before he hit the floor and the team rushed to Horatio's side. On the phone Doctor Carter was calling his name.

Frank grabbed the phone.

"This is Detective Tripp, I'm afraid that Horatio has passed out." Frank said, "What kind of news did you give him? Because that man has _never_ passed out before."

"Well, my suspicion was correct. He's pregnant." Doctor Carter said.

**-I-**

Mac had taken the first flight he could find down to Miami after he had found out that his lover had passed out in the lab. He feared the worst; some fatal virus. And since Horatio's team wouldn't tell him why he passed out he was panicking. The team felt that Horatio should be the one to tell Mac about their coming parenthood.

Mac was picked up at the airport by Eric and driven straight to the hospital where the rest of the team was waiting. Doctor Carter was inside the room with Horatio still. It had only been a few hours since Horatio had received the news about his pregnancy, and half that time he had been unconscious.

"Is he okay?" Mac asked.

Alexx saw how worried he was and that his hands were shaking so she led Mac to a chair so he could sit down.

"He's fine." She smiled.

"Then why is he in the hospital?"

"I think he should be the one to tell you that." Alexx said.

Mac took a deep breath and when a young doctor approached them he stood up.

"I'm Doctor Carter; I'm taking care of Horatio." The woman smiled, "He's fine and he's waiting for you, Mister?"

"Detective Mac Taylor." Mac said and shook the doctor's hand.

Doctor Carter smiled and took Mac to a room just down the hall. She let Mac enter alone, since she figured the two lovers would need some time alone. By the look on Horatio's face when she had performed an ultrasound to see how many weeks pregnant he was, she knew he was in shock and scared. It was understandable to be scared when you were faced with a sudden pregnancy.

Mac rushed to Horatio's bed and hugged him hard. Horatio smiled and relaxed, now that his lover was with him. When they parted Mac gave him a kiss and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, it's nothing serious."

"What is it then?"

Horatio paused and gave Mac a photograph. Mac gasped when he saw the photo. He knew what it was.

"I'm seven weeks pregnant, Mac." Horatio said quietly.

"Pregnant?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. We've never talked about it and I didn't even know I could get pregnant." Horatio said.

Mac stayed silent for a moment, just looking at the photo of their child. His and Horatio's child; their baby.

Male pregnancy was maybe not as common as female pregnancy, but people had known about it, as long as they had known that women could pregnant. What scientist couldn't explain was why some men were able to get pregnant, while others were not. The scientists knew that the baby was just as normal as in a female pregnancy, and that the men got pregnant by having penetrating sex with another man. The baby was born through the rectum (yes, as disgusting as it may seem, that's how it was done) and the male pregnancy and labor was in fact just like the female one apart from how the baby got out.

As for nursing the child, well, men didn't produce milk so they had to use substitutes.

Horatio had never known he could get pregnant.

"You never knew?" Mac asked confused.

"No."

"But you've had boyfriends before me, right?"

"Yes, but those relationships had never lasted very long. My old partners and I always used condoms because we never got past being together more than a month and therefore we never got comfortable enough with each other to not use condoms." Horatio sighed, "I guess I was lucky that a condom never broke or I might have gotten pregnant sooner."

Mac hugged his lover and gently put a hand over his flat belly. To think that they would be parents in a few months was unbelievable. Mac had seen plenty of pregnant men throughout his life, but he had never thought that he'd be a part of it like this. He was… happy. Nervous and worried for his lover, but happy. He was going to be a dad and he was going to share it with the man he loved.

"Do you want this child Horatio?" Mac asked.

"Yes." Horatio whispered, "But I'm scared. I mean, can you really picture me having a big belly later on? Or going through labor? Or even having all the pregnancy hormones?"

"Yes." Mac smiled, "I'll be with you all the way."

Horatio gave him a small smile and Mac pulled him in for a kiss. They were going to be okay.

Mac was scared too. Scared for Horatio's health. He knew he would be like a nervous mother hen the whole pregnancy and it would most likely drive the other man nuts form time to time.

"We're going to have a baby." Mac smiled, "Wow."

"You really think we can do it?"

"Of course." Mac said, "We can do it. I know I will drive you nuts with all my mothering-"

"You'll become the male version of Alexx." Horatio chuckled.

"True. But you're my love and you're carrying our child, so of course I'll worry about you." Mac smiled and caressed Horatio's cheek.

"I think I'll drive you crazy with all my hormones." Horatio grinned.

There was a knock on the door and Alexx peeked inside. When she saw the two men smile, she opened it wider and Mac and Horatio noticed the team standing outside.

"Can we come in?" Alexx asked.

"Of course." Horatio grinned.

The team happily entered the room and Mac showed them the picture of the baby in Horatio's belly.

"Aw, this is just too cute. I mean you'll be the first pregnant man I know and I will totally melt when you get a baby bump." Calleigh said and even had tears in her eyes.

Calleigh hugged Horatio and wiped a few tears away as they fell. Even Alexx was teary-eyed. To think that Horatio who had longed for a family for so many years was finally going to have it was amazing.

"We'll get a new brother or sister out of this." Ryan smiled, "And we'll get to witness some amazing things too."

"Yeah, the child growing up." Alexx said.

"I was thinking more of the hormones, Mac being a nervous wreck once it's time for labor, not to mention both of them chasing after the kid once he or she learns to crawl and walk." Ryan said.

"Yeah, I know how my sisters got when their children learned that. One minute the kids were next to them and the other they were already halfway out of the house." Eric grinned.

Horatio and Mac looked at Alexx for confirmation and unfortunately she could only nod. She had had the same "problem" with her own children when they were younger.

"We'll go home and leave you two alone now." Alexx said, "I think you need it."

"Thank you all." Horatio smiled, "I'm glad to have you as family."

"We're glad to have you as family as well, H." Eric smiled.

They all waved goodbye and the women hugged both men before leaving them alone again. Horatio sighed and looked down at his belly. In a few weeks it would start to grow. He still couldn't imagine himself with a baby bump.

"Let's go home." Mac smiled, "We have to start planning on where to put the nursery."

"The guest bedroom would be perfect." Horatio said.

"Great. We have so much to buy and make ready for our baby." Mac grinned.

Horatio just chuckled and gave Mac a kiss.

_**Please review!**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

Horatio managed to accept his morning sickness now that he knew why he had it. Even if he hated running to the bathroom every morning, it was for a good reason. He knew it would eventually go away and he looked forward to it. Mac and Horatio had been able to go home from the hospital, and Mac had been granted a _very_ short vacation in Miami. He could only stay until the following day, but it was better than not being able to stay at all.

Mac stirred and opened his eyes when he felt the bed dip, as Horatio lied down next to him. His redheaded lover had spent thirty minutes bent over the toilet and he was exhausted. Horatio snuggled close to the younger man and Mac wrapped his arms around him.

Mac had been tested at the hospital to see if he too could get pregnant, but he was one of those men who couldn't.

"How are you feeling?" Mac asked.

"Tired." Horatio yawned and put his head on Mac's chest.

Mac smiled and softly caressed Horatio's lower back. He hadn't told his team about the pregnancy yet, because he preferred to do it face to face. He would bring the ultrasound picture back to New York with him. He would also tell Sinclair that he was retiring. Mac had thought about moving down to Miami permanently for a while and now with a baby on the way, he wanted it even more.

"Horatio?"

"Yes?"

"I uh… I'm going to retire when I get back to New York. I want to move down here." Mac said.

Horatio sat up and looked surprised at his lover. He didn't want Mac to do something he would regret later.

"Is it because of the baby?" Horatio asked, "Because you don't have to feel forced to quit and move here."

"I've been thinking about for a while now. This feels more like home to me than New York." Mac smiled, "I really want to live down here with you. To spend every day with you."

Horatio grinned. Mac reached out a hand and touched Horatio's flat belly. He wouldn't start showing his baby bump until for a few more weeks.

"The baby has only made me get my head together and not wait any longer." Mac said, "I will miss New York and my team, but we can visit them and they can visit us."

"Do you think they'll be disgusted by the pregnancy?"

"Of course not. You can expect a phone call from Stella and Lindsay." Mac grinned, "They'll be hysterical."

Horatio chuckled and bent down to give Mac a kiss. He then snuggled down next to him and closed his eyes. Mac listened to his lover's breathing even out and knew he was sleeping again.

Alexx had told Mac on the phone last night, that as the belly grew bigger Horatio would be having trouble finding a comfortable position, not to mention he'd have back pain and swollen ankles and other things. Alexx was only trying to give Mac a heads up of what was to come and Mac appreciated it, even if it scared him a little. He hated to see his lover in pain.

**-I-**

"I think it's a girl." Mac said, as he looked at the picture of the baby in Horatio's belly for probably the hundredth time.

Horatio smiled as he prepared lunch for the two of them. Mac wasn't allowed to help, because Horatio knew he would take over and do it all by himself then in fear of Horatio hurting himself. Mac really was a mother-hen, but Horatio still loved him and it was quite amusing sometimes to watch the big, tough ex-marine almost have a heart attack because he was scared his pregnant lover would cut his finger with the knife.

Mac knew he was being overprotective and needed to slow down, but it was hard.

"Well, I don't care what we have. As long as the baby has ten toes and ten fingers." Horatio said.

"I agree." Mac said.

If they had a daughter she wouldn't be allowed to date until she was thirty. Both men knew that was a bit overprotective, but they wouldn't be able to not worry about her. If they had a boy, well then they would be just as overprotective of him. Certainly a boy would inherit their talent for trouble. Of course, if one asked Horatio and Mac it was trouble that found them and not them who found trouble.

"Should we find out what we're having as soon as we can?" Horatio asked.

"I want it to be a surprise."

"Me too." Horatio grinned and a put a plate of chicken salad in front of his lover.

They were eating out on the back porch. They were so focused on discussing the baby that they didn't hear the doorbell ring. Fortunately for their visitor, he knew the way to the back porch on the side of the house. He heard Mac and Horatio's voices and opened the gate.

"Frank?" Horatio asked surprised.

"Yeah, I thought I would come by and see how you two are doing. Or rather you three." Frank smiled.

Horatio was like a brother to him and his best friend. They had supported each other through many situations in life and now Frank was excited as everyone else that Horatio was pregnant. The last person on earth they had ever suspected would get pregnant was just that.

"Come and join us, we have chicken salad for you too." Mac smiled.

Frank grinned and sat down at the table. He got a plate of food.

"So how are you?" Frank asked.

"We're all fine." Horatio said, "What's in the bag?"

Frank had brought a plastic bag with him with a gift from the team. He smirked and pulled out the gift and handed it to the redhead.

"I know it was only yesterday that we found out you're pregnant, but Alexx insisted that we'd give you a gift already." Frank said.

Horatio unwrapped it and grinned. It was a photo album for the for the baby's first year. Mac grinned and started reading from the pages.

"_The first ultrasound, baby's arrival, baby's first day at home_." He said, "So one picture for each of these days then."

"Yeah, it's a good thing we already have the first ultrasound picture. At least we can put something in it." Horatio said, "But you'll be taking it back to New York until you move down."

"You're moving down?" Frank asked surprised.

"Yeah. I'm burning out and I want to live with Horatio. Especially now that we're having a baby." Mac smiled and squeezed his lover's hand softly, "Thanks for the gift."

"Yes, thank you." Horatio said, "I'll be sure to thank everyone else tomorrow afternoon when I get to work."

"You're going back already?" Frank asked.

"Well, I have to work Frank." Horatio chuckled, "I'm on desk duty only of course."

"Yeah, you better not run off to any crime scenes or I swear I will-" Mac started.

"What? You wouldn't hurt a knocked up man would you?" Horatio asked and gave Mac his most innocent look.

Mac groaned, he couldn't resist melting at those blue eyes. He really hoped their child would get Horatio's red hair and intense blue eyes.

"Frank?" Mac asked.

Frank nodded; he knew what Mac was asking him to do. Keep an eye on Horatio. Not that Frank would be the only one doing that; the entire lab probably would.

"I'll cuff him to his office chair if I have to." Frank smirked.

"Hey! I'm a grown man." Horatio scoffed playfully.

"We know." Mac said and kissed his temple, "But you have to be on desk duty, just like every other pregnant man or woman."

"And if you don',t then I'm sure Alexx can find a suitable consequence for you." Frank smirked evilly.

Horatio stuck his tongue out at the Texan and muttered something incoherent before continuing to eat. Mac and Frank just grinned.

**-I-**

Mac sighed sadly as he stepped out on to the streets of New York. He was already longing to go back to Miami and his stubborn, redheaded lover. It had been a long goodbye at the airport and both men had been close to tears. They knew this would be the last time they said goodbye, because next time Mac flew down to Miami he would stay forever.

As Mac saw a pregnant man and his lover greet each other at the airport he smiled. The pregnant man had a big baby bump and Mac couldn't wait until Horatio had one too. He was also looking forward being able to feel their baby kick.

It was a long drive to the lab and when he arrived it was almost empty. The lab techs were busy working with evidence and his team was out on crime scenes. Mac was happy to be given a moment alone in his office, so he could prepare himself for the questions he knew would come. All his team knew was that Horatio had passed out, but that he was fine. Of course, they knew Mac was hiding something but figured he'd tell them when he got back.

Mac put his baggage down on the floor and took the picture of the baby out of his pocket. He ran his finger over it and smiled.

He had never thought he'd be a father before. Now he was finally sharing it with the man he loved so much it hurt. He was sure that he and Horatio would be good parents. He still found it hard from time to time to believe that his lover was pregnant with his child;… _their child._

"Mac?" A voice asked.

Mac snapped back to reality and smiled at Stella. She stood in the doorway, looking amused. It wasn't often that Mac was in such deep thoughts, that he didn't hear someone call his name for the fifth time.

"Are you okay? What's that?" Stella asked and nodded towards the picture.

Mac put it back in his pocket and stood up.

"I uh, I'm fine. And I will explain what the picture is when everyone is here." Mac said.

Stella looked curiously at her friend. There was a look in his eyes that she had never seen before.

"Everyone is in the break room." Stella said, "Should I call them in here?"

"Please." Mac smiled.

While Stella went to get the rest of the team, Mac took a deep breath and wondered how he was going to break the news to them. The team quickly arrived.

"Mac, welcome back." Danny said, "How is Horatio?"

"He's fine." Mac smiled, "Where are Don, Sid and Adam?"

Stella and Danny called them and waited patiently for them to arrive. Mac's relationship with Horatio was nothing new so even Sid and Adam knew about it; everyone did.

"Okay, now that everybody is here." Mac said, "I want to tell you that I will be retiring soon. In fact as soon as possible. I'll talk to Sinclair next week when he gets back from his business trip."

The team wasn't surprised, but not overjoyed either. They knew Mac wanted to live with Horatio permanently. They had noticed the change in Mac when he was in New York. They could see in his eyes that even though his body was in New York, his heart and mind was still in Miami.

"Well, I can't say it's a surprise." Danny sighed, "But, it still seems very sudden."

"Well, a certain situation has made me take the final step. I've been thinking about this for a long time." Mac said.

"Is Horatio really okay?" Lindsay asked.

"Yes, he's fine."

"What happened in Miami?" Don asked.

"Well uh…" Mac started.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the photo. He showed it to the them, and everyone gasped. They instantly recognized what kind of a photo it was.

"That's our seven week old baby." Mac said.

He prayed that the reaction was going to be good, because at the moment everyone looked just gaped at the picture. Suddenly Stella pulled Mac in for a hug and a kiss on the cheek."

"Oh, that's just wonderful!" She exclaimed, "You're going to have a baby."

"Yes, Horatio's pregnant." Mac smiled.

The rest of the gang smiled and hugged their boss. Sid asked Mac if he needed any tips about child birth, he was a father of three so he knew what it was like.

"Uh, I can't think of anything right now that I need to know." Mac smiled, "But thanks Sid."

"So are you nervous?" Danny asked.

"I'm terrified. I'm worried about Horatio; I just don't want anything to happen to him or our baby." Mac said, "And I'm a little scared of being a dad."

"Mac, I don' know anybody who would be better fathers than you and Horatio." Danny smiled and everybody else nodded in agreement.

"Aw, this is just so fun." Lindsay grinned, "We get to shop for gifts too."

"Oh you don't have to, if you don't want to." Mac said.

"But, we want to." Stella smiled, "So are you two going to find out what it is?"

"No, we want it to be a surprise." Mac said and then sighed in relief, "I'm glad you're happy about this."

"Why wouldn't we be?" Don smiled.

"Don't forget to take a picture of the baby bump, when it starts to show." Stella said.

"Yeah, we want to see how it grows and you and Horatio have to come and visit us." Lindsay smiled.

"We will." Mac grinned.

"How about we go out and celebrate?" Sheldon suggested, "A toast for the two fathers-to-be?"

"Sounds like a great plan." Mac grinned.

He was dragged out of his office by his friends and soon found himself at a bar, while the team toasted for the baby and wished both him and Horatio the best of luck.

_**Please review!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

Mac wasn't nervous because he was telling Sinclair that he would retire in just two weeks. He was nervous because it would be the final step to making his retirement official; to get things moving. He didn't regret his choice. He wanted nothing more than to move down to his lover in Miami. And speaking of his lover, Horatio was only 8 weeks pregnant and according to him and Alexx, his appetite had increased and his mood had changed. Alexx said he sure was pregnant now with the way he could change from sad or angry to happy in a matter of seconds.

Mac looked forward to being a part of that every day. He did notice the mood swings when he talked to Horatio on the phone, but he knew it was different to be part of it on the phone and to actually be down in Miami and see it.

He was waiting outside Sinclair's office at the end of his shift. He had been waiting for thirty minutes when the big boss finally arrived. He looked curiously at Mac. Of course, the news that Mac and his redheaded lover were going to have a child had spread through the department, but Sinclair still had no idea why Mac was there. Even if he suspected what it might be about.

"Detective Taylor." Sinclair greeted, "Come in inside."

Mac followed the other man inside his office and sat down on the guest chair across the desk. Sinclair sat down in his chair with a heavy sigh.

"What brings you here then?" He asked.

"I'm retiring." Mac said, "And I will only be staying in New York for a week before I move down to Miami."

Sinclair looked surprised at Mac. He had suspected the detective to ask for vacation for a longer period of time; not retirement.

"Well, I'm shocked." Sinclair said, "I never suspected that a man like you would quit the job."

"Well, I'm burning out. I've been feeling it for a while now." Mac said, "And with a baby on the way it's the right choice. I've been thinking about retiring for weeks, but never taken the final step until now."

Sinclair nodded and stood up. He went to his big window where he could look out over the city he loved. Mac remained silent, waiting for Sinclair to say something.

"Well, I agree that it's the right choice to make." Sinclair said, after several minutes of silence, "You and I haven't always agreed on things, but you are one hell of a detective Mac."

"Thank you, sir."

Sinclair turned around and smiled. Mac noticed there was sadness to the smile.

"While I am sorry to see you go, I do believe that being down in Miami with the man carrying your child is the right thing to do." Sinclair said and extended his hand for Mac.

Mac smiled and shook his boss's hand.

"Thank you, Chief." Mac said.

Sinclair nodded and Mac turned to leave. Now he could go home and pack. He didn't have much to pack since Horatio had all the furniture they needed. Mac was just going to sell his furniture and if he got a buyer, Danny and Don had promised to help make sure they went where they needed to go.

When he came back to his office to make sure the computer was off and all the folders were where they should be, he felt a sudden sadness hit him for the first time since he had decided to retire. He was going to miss the lab, his office and especially his friends. He knew he had friends waiting for him in Miami as well. He was part of that family as much as Horatio was part of the New York family.

There was a knock on the door and Mac turned to face Stella. She would be taking over after him as head of the crime lab, while Danny would be her second in command.

"How did Sinclair take it?" Stella asked.

"Good actually." Mac said, "What are you still doing here?"

"Mac, the shift only ended an hour ago." Stella grinned, "I'm here to take you out shopping for baby clothes. You can't move down to Horatio empty handed."

Mac laughed and hugged his friend. He hadn't yet bought anything for his child and Stella was right, he couldn't show up empty handed.

**-I-**

"You are really sure that it's a baby girl, aren't you?" Stella asked amused.

They had been in three different baby stores and so far Mac had only looked at the girl stuff.

"Yes. It's a gut feeling I have." Mac shrugged.

"What does Horatio think?"

"He hasn't made a guess yet."

"Well, I think it's a girl too." Stella said and picked out a small white dress with butterflies on it, "This is cute isn't it?"

Mac smiled and took it from her. He nodded, it was cute.

"I'll take this." Mac said, "And this… and this…"

In one minute Mac had his arms full of baby clothes and even some toys. Stella shook her head amused. She had never thought she'd see her long time friend so excited about buying baby stuff. He was going to spoil the child; that she was sure of. Stella knew she just had to take a picture of Mac like this.

"Did you just photograph me?" Mac asked, as he stood in line to pay.

"No." Stella lied and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"You did." Mac said, "Let me see it."

"Wait, I'm just going to send it to Horatio."

Mac gasped and tried to reach for the phone, but it was too late. Stella had already sent it to his lover and Mac gave her a playful glare.

"You looked so adorable!" Stella exclaimed, "I couldn't help it."

Mac just shook his head.

"Let's go buy some plush toys now." He muttered after he had paid.

Stella just smiled and followed him.

After several hours of shopping, Mac was finally home in his apartment. He looked at all the empty moving boxes and smiled. Soon he would be packing them and then unpacking them again hours later in Miami.

His phone rang and the caller ID read_ Horatio_.

"You saw the picture Stella sent you, didn't you?" Mac answered.

"Hello Mac and how are you?" Horatio said, "Yes, I saw it. You look very cute."

Mac snorted, "Why is it so cute and adorable with a man buying clothes for his child?"

"I don't know." Horatio said, "So girls clothes only, huh?"

"Yeah, well my gut tells me we're having a girl so."

Horatio chuckled, "So… are you busy right now?"

Mac heard the tone of his lover's voice change and immidiately felt himself get aroused. He knew the redhead was in a playful mood.

"No. I'm free to do whatever you want." Mac grinned.

"Good. How about you get undressed and lie down in bed." Horatio smirked.

"Are you naked already?" Mac asked, as he stood up and headed to the bedroom.

"Naked and hard."

Mac shivered as he imagined his naked, hard lover on the bed in front of him. He quickly shed his clothes and lied down. His manhood already starting to grow hard.

"And now what?" He asked.

"Pinch your nipples. Imagine it's me doing it." Horatio said seductively, "Caress your skin from your chest to your member. Are you hard?"

"Oh yes." Mac grinned, as he did what his lover told him to.

Mac knew his lover was stroking himself too and he could hear Horatio's breathing increase and soft gasps coming from him. Mac closed his eyes and moaned.

"Imagine me sitting between your legs, naked." Horatio said, "You're handcuffed to the headboard. You're begging me to take you now."

"Uh, please love!" Mac groaned.

He wished his redheaded lover truly was there with him. Mac started stroking himself faster and knew he wouldn't last long if Horatio kept up with his game.

"I bend down to take your erection into my mouth. My warm mouth enveloping you." Horatio panted.

Both men had the same hot image in their heads and it was driving them both mad with desire. Mac arched his back and gasped in pleasure.

"H!" He moaned.

"You're begging now? My, my, you really are horny tonight aren't you?" Horatio teased, "Imagine me preparing you to be taken. As I suck you slowly."

Mac was panting and writhing on the bed. He was close to climax and Horatio could hear it.

"I would thrust into you and take you slow. Torturing you while you beg me for more." Horatio smirked.

"Uh, Horatio!" Mac cried out as he felt his throbbing length twitch.

Horatio knew his New York lover would climax soon and he didn't want to be left behind. He started stroking his own member fast and hard; bringing himself to the edge.

"Oh Mac!" He moaned, "I would bit down on your shoulder, leaving a mark so everyone knew you were mine."

"God, H!" Mac gasped.

"And I would thrust hard, but slow into you. Making you squirm with the need for more."

Mac stiffened and came over his hand with a moan. He heard Horatio follow him with a gasp and then both men just listened to each other, as they both tried to calm down their breathing.

"Before I met you, love, I never knew phone sex could be so erotic." Mac smiled and got out of bed.

"It's the best we can do when we're in two different cities." Horatio said.

"Not for long though. I'm moving down next week." Mac reminded.

"I know and I can't wait."

"I need to take a shower now." Mac said, "And you need to rest."

"A shower? Without me? You imp."

Mac smirked, "Yes… all by myself. Naked, with water running down my back."

Horatio groaned at the image he got in his head and Mac chuckled.

"Too bad you can't be here to take me in the shower." Mac teased.

"You're evil." Horatio growled.

Mac just chuckled, "Imagine you sneaking up on me and taking me by surprise. Pinning me against the wall and taking me so wildly I wouldn't be able to walk for a week."

Mac smirked and hung up just as Horatio cursed at him. He knew the redhead would make him pay once he got down to Miami.

Mac stepped inside the shower and sighed. He suddenly felt very tired and decided to go to bed early. As soon as his head hit the pillow he fell asleep.

**-I-**

The following day Danny and Don were helping Mac pack some stuff from his apartment that he would take with him to Miami.

"This feels a bit weird." Danny said, after a while.

He was packing things from the kitchen. Mac's dear lover wasn't the kind of man that had a lot of kitchen utensils, since he was rarely at home. Mac on the other hand had more than he needed, so if he took a few things down with him it would be perfect.

"Tell me about it. Here we are, packing up Mac Taylor's stuff. _The_ Mac Taylor's possessions." Don sighed, "The one who it seemed would never retire and certainly never leave New York."

As happy as they were for their friend that he had found love again and he was going to be a father, they were sad to see him leave. They could and definitely would visit Mac, but never in a million years could they have imagined this day before he met Horatio.

"Yeah, but as long as he's moving for a good reason then I can't complain." Danny said, "It's not like he's leaving because he hates us or because he feels he can't live here anymore because of something bad."

Mac was busy in the living room packing his books and could only hear Danny and Don mutter about something. He knew it was hard for his team to see him leave. Now that he was packing it started to become hard for Mac too. Saying goodbye was always difficult, even though it wasn't goodbye forever.

He looked at a framed photo of himself and Horatio, they were smiling. It was a photo that Ryan Wolfe had taken of them in Miami a few months ago, at one of Alexx's barbeques. Horatio was hugging Mac and kissing his cheek. It was a lovely picture, one that Mac treasured dearly.

"Mac!" Danny called from the kitchen.

Mac placed the photo in the box and stood up. He entered the kitchen and saw Danny and Don's shocked expressions as they looked into the one of the kitchen cabinets.

"Yes?" Mac asked amused.

"Do you need _all_ of these glasses?" Don asked.

Mac chuckled. He collected beer glasses with different motives on them, even though he rarely drank beer. The cabinet was full of them and although he had never used most of the glasses, it was a collection he had worked hard to get for many, many years.

"Yeah." Mac smiled, "It's my secret collection."

"Why do you collect beer glasses?" Danny asked and started taking the glasses down and giving them to Don.

Mac shrugged, "Don't know. I just like it."

"Does Horatio know about it?" Danny asked.

"Yes. He's already cleared out a large space for me to put them." Mac smiled.

"What is his secret collection then?" Don asked.

"He doesn't have a secret one." Mac said, "He collects bottle caps."

"Really?" Danny asked, "Why?"

"Don't know. I guess he just likes it, just as I like collecting beer glasses. He has thousands of bottle caps from when he was a kid to now."

"Remind me to ask him to let me see them some day." Don said, "Sometimes you find the craziest kind of bottle caps."

"I will." Mac smiled, "I'm moving on to the bedroom now, will you be okay with all the glasses?"

"Yeah." Danny smiled, "We won't break them."

Mac went to the bedroom and started putting most of his clothes into boxes. He had a few photo frames there too and then his guitar. Horatio had a guitar in Miami too and a piano. He had played for Mac many times and it was clear that the redhead found a lot of comfort and relaxation in music. Mac was the same way.

Last but not least Mac's eyes landed on the picture of their baby. He smiled and put it in his pocket. He then heard Danny's surprised cry when he found the rest of Mac's glass collection. It wasn't just one kitchen cabinet of them… it was four.

"Mac! You have a serious obsession with beer glasses." Danny called.

Mac laughed and went to help the two younger men pack it down.

_**Please review!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks very much for all the reviews! And a big **_**thanks**_** to my beta, **_**Alisa**_**!**

At only 10 weeks pregnant Horatio still didn't show a baby bump, but Mac still couldn't keep his hands away from his lover's belly. So when he spotted the redhead at the airport waiting for him, he ran to him, kissed him deeply and immidiately placed a hand on his flat stomach.

"Soon you'll start showing and not long after, that we can feel the baby kick too." Mac smiled.

"I'm patiently waiting for it." Horatio grinned.

All Mac had with him was a small bag with some of his last clothes. Everything else had already been sent down to Horatio a few days earlier.

"I haven't unpacked anything yet." Horatio said, as they walked to his hummer in the parking lot, "I was thinking you'd want to be there to decide what goes where."

"Well, you shouldn't work too hard anyway." Mac said.

Horatio just sighed and rolled his eyes.

"Mac." He said.

"I know, sorry." Mac chuckled, "But you know I will worry the entire pregnancy."

"Yes, in fact you'll get worse the further along I get." Horatio said.

Mac smiled. He couldn't deny it. He would become a male version of Alexx Woods. The two lovers' small talked on their way to Horatio's beach house, or rather _their_ beach house. Mac was so happy to finally be a Miami resident and to finally live with his lover every day; even if this was only their first day.

He opened the front door and went to the kitchen to get something to eat. To his surprise, all the boxes were there and he frowned when he heard what sounded like someone whispering from the living room.

"H, are we having guests?" He called out.

Horatio walked through the front door and shrugged. He was unable to keep a straight face. Mac went to the living room.

"Surprise!"

Mac nearly jumped out of his skin, as he saw the entire Miami CSI team and their families standing in the room. They all laughed at his frightened expression. Horatio chuckled from behind Mac and wrapped his arms around him.

"You scared me half to death!" Mac exclaimed.

"That was the plan." Eric smirked, "Welcome to Miami."

There was a big banner hanging from the ceiling with the words: _Welcome to Miami Mac!_

Mac turned his head towards Horatio and gave him a kiss on the cheek. The team shook his hand and hugged him to welcome him to the family. They had also brought food with them. Alexx's husband and her children were there, as well as Frank's three daughters. Mac had only met them a few times before but had quickly become "Uncle Mac".

Soon everyone sat down by the big table on the back porch and started eating and chatting. Mac entwined his fingers with Horatio's and the two lovers smiled at each other. Mac was overwhelmed by the welcome party, but was very happy that the team and Horatio had put it together. It meant a lot to him and he definitely knew that he was part of the family now.

"Horatio's been so thrilled all week. He hasn't been able to sleep properly, because he's been waiting for this day." Calleigh smiled, "He was so cute when he called me last night and wanted me to confirm that today was the day when you would come."

Mac chuckled and gave his blushing lover a kiss on the cheek.

"He's been having this dreamy look at work too." Eric grinned, "We caught him day-dreaming all the time."

"Well, this is a dream come true." Horatio blushed.

"Aw, you're so sweet." Calleigh smiled and hugged him, "Now tell me Mac, how many beer glasses do you really own?"

Mac chuckled. He should have known that Danny would tell Sheldon, and that Sheldon would tell Calleigh and Eric about his collection.

"Just about... 150 of them." Mac shrugged.

Eric choked on his drink and everyone looked at him like he had grown a second head.

"Mac owns 150 beer glasses!" He exclaimed.

Now everyone looked at Mac instead, with the same look they had just given Eric.

"Give or take a few glasses." Mac smiled, "It's not that many really. I once knew a guy that had 376 beer glasses. From all around the world."

"I have 567 bottle caps from all around the world." Horatio said, "Sort of. Maybe not from _all_ around the world, but close."

"Why do you collect bottle caps?" Ryan asked.

Horatio thought long and hard about a good answer, in the end he just smiled and shrugged.

"I just feel like it I guess."

"That ain't nothing compared to what my great-aunt Wilma used to collect before she passed away." Frank said, "I swear to god; cigarette butts. She had about 8-thousand when she died."

"Why would someone do that?" Eric asked, "Beer glasses and bottle caps I can understand, but cigarette butts?"

Frank shrugged, "No one in the family knows."

"Must have been fun to clean that away later." Ryan muttered.

"She had them all in bags so it was easy to just throw away. Though we did feel a little sorry for doing it, she had spent her entire life collecting them." Frank said, "But then again, what would we do with them?"

"Smoke them?" Horatio suggested.

Everyone chuckled. The party continued until late that night and when everybody had left, Mac and Horatio collapsed on their bed and snuggled close.

"I'm finally here." Mac smiled.

"Did the team go with you to the airport today to say goodbye?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, there were some tears from the women and I think Sheldon had a hard time trying not to cry as well." Mac said, "But they're happy for me; for _us_."

"We can visit them soon." Horatio said.

Mac nodded and then climbed out of bed. Horatio yawned and heard him search for something in his bag. He came back with a huge grin.

"This is what I bought for our baby the day Stella took that picture of me."Mac grinned.

He picked out one item after the other, and Horatio had to admit that Mac had great taste. The dresses were just too cute for words. There were also some pajamas, pants and sweaters. For both newborns and older babies. As well as plush toys for the baby.

"You like it?" Mac asked and lied down next to his lover again.

"Yes." Horatio smiled, "You and I will spoil the baby so, so much. Especially you."

"I can't help it." Mac chuckled.

When Horatio yawned again, Mac decided it was time for bed.

**-I-**

Mac woke up to the feeling of someone kissing his neck and hands sliding up and down his chest. He moaned and opened his eyes, only to find himself cuffed to a kitchen chair. Horatio smirked and sat down in his lap. He was naked and Mac could feel his hard member pressing against his stomach.

"Good morning." Horatio mumbled and continued kissing Mac's neck.

Mac felt himself grow hard and he groaned, when Horatio wrapped a hand around his length and started stroking.

"This is payback after that phone call last week." Horatio smirked.

"You mean the phone call where I hung up after giving you a hot image to think about?" Mac winked.

"Yes."

Mac gasped when Horatio's hand tightened around his member and he stroked faster. Horatio then slid down to the floor and licked at the head of Mac's erection.

Mac looked into the redhead's blue eyes and cried out when Horatio enveloped his throbbing manhood. He arched his back and closed his eyes tightly. The feeling of Horatio's warm mouth around him was just so good.

"Uh H!"

Horatio smiled and slid his hands up over Mac's chest to pinch his nipples; causing the younger man to gasp. Mac started to slowly thrust into his lover's mouth and Horatio pinned his hips down.

Mac opened his eyes and saw the lube on the nightstand, he knew he was going to be in for a good ride; literally.

"Horatio, oh yes!"

He panted and let his head fall back, as he felt Horatio's teeth grace his sensitive skin and his tongue slide against the head of his member; licking off his pre-cum.

Horatio was too aroused to wait much longer, and he grabbed the lube from the nightstand. He pushed a lubed digit inside himself while he continued sucking Mac's length.

Mac watched as Horatio prepared himself and he bit his lower lip when the redhead added a second digit; it was such an erotic thing to see.

"Uh, love I can't wait much longer." Mac moaned.

"Me either." Horatio grinned and used his free hand to stroke Mac's throbbing erection.

Mac thrusted hard into Horatio's hand, but every time he came close to climax Horatio stopped stroking. He wanted Mac to be right on the edge.

After a while Horatio added a third digit and stood up. Mac bent forward and took the tip of Horatio's member into his warm mouth. Horatio's knees almost buckled and he gasped.

"Ah, Mac!"

Horatio straddled the younger man and pulled out his digits just before he sunk down on Mac's hard, aching erection. Mac moaned and Horatio gasped.

"Horatio, uh!"

Mac started thrusting and Horatio met his thrust as he rode him. The older man grabbed onto Mac's shoulders to brace himself , and quickened the pace. Both men needed to climax soon, and Horatio cried out at Mac's member hit his prostate with every thrust.

"Mac, uh god!"

Horatio closed his eyes and let all of his control go. He met every one of Mac's thrusts roughly, and both men were panting and sweating heavily.

"Oh, I'm so close!" Mac groaned.

His body stiffened and he cried out as he came inside his lover. Horatio rode him a while longer and then came with a gasp. He slumped against Mac and tried to calm down his breathing.

Mac kissed Horatio's cheek and grinned.

"How did you get me from the bed to the kitchen chair?" Mac asked.

"You were out like a light." Horatio smirked.

He uncuffed the younger man and dragged him towards the bathroom. Mac noticed the twinkle in the redhead's eyes, and knew he was in for round two that morning.

"Did pregnancy make you hornier?" Mac asked.

"I have no idea. I think it's you making me horny." Horatio said and pinned Mac against the shower wall.

**-I-**

After unpacking almost all of Mac's things and cleaning out the guest room, the two lovers were now standing in the empty guest room looking around and making plans.

"This is just perfect for a nursery." Mac smiled, "We'll have to re-paint the walls though."

"Maybe put some Disney stickers on it. Or animal stickers." Horatio said, "Or maybe just make some blood spray and fake fingerprints. Teach the child to be a CSI from the very beginning."

Mac raised his eyebrows at his lover, and gave him an amused smile.

"Is that such a bad idea?" Horatio asked innocently.

"A little yes. While all other children have plush toys in their room, or toy cars and such. Our kid will have tweezers, a magnifying glass." Mac said.

"A mass spectrometer." Horatio said, "It sounds like a great idea, don't you think?"

Mac chuckled and pulled his lover in for a hug.

"You're insane."

_**Please review!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews! And thanks to my beta, Alisa!**

"Are you sure you'll be fine?" Mac asked.

Horatio sighed and rolled his eyes. Mac had asked him so many times, he had lost count. Horatio could understand that his younger lover was worried about him going to work while being pregnant, but the redhead had desk duty and wasn't likely to be exposed to anything dangerous. Besides, Mac couldn't protect him from everything.

"Mac, if you ask that again I'll… I'll scream." Horatio said.

"Scream?" Mac chuckled, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Well I could shoot you, but I really want our child to grow up with two parents." Horatio said.

Mac chuckled, and kissed his lover on the cheek. Horatio smiled and opened the door to leave.

"You wouldn't shoot me." Mac said.

Horatio just smirked and walked to his hummer.

"You wouldn't." Mac called to him, "I know you wouldn't."

Horatio just shrugged and got into the hummer. He started the engine and drove away. Mac frowned and closed the door.

"He wouldn't shoot me." He said.

Of course he knew that pregnant men and women were pretty much capable of anything. He had never thought his lover would throw anything at him either, but he had been proven wrong the day before when Horatio had thrown the remote control at him. It hadn't hurt, but it proved that while he was pregnant Horatio Caine was not afraid to lose his control.

"He did throw a remote control at me, so… he might shoot me." Mac said and sat down on the couch in the living room.

Elvis soon joined him and purred as he lied down in his lap to snuggle. Mac had spent the whole weekend unpacking his things after moving down to Miami. Now, he was officially a retired cop and had a whole day with no plans.

"Okay, what to do, what to do." Mac said and scratched Elvis, "Ah, we can paint the nursery."

He looked down at the ginger cat and Elvis just meowed at him.

"You're right, _I_ can paint the nursery." Mac smiled, "I'm talking to a cat… again. Why is it that every time you and I are alone, I talk to you?"

He hadn't expected an answer from Elvis and he didn't receive one. The cat just purred louder and closed his eyes.

"Well, if I'm going to paint it I have to buy paint." Mac said and stood up.

Elvis glared at him for interrupting his snuggling and ran off to the bedroom; probably to hide under the covers to sleep. Mac grabbed the car keys to Horatio's private car and drove to the mall. It was time to buy some paint for the nursery.

**-I-**

The team was just as bad as Mac, when it came to mothering their boss. They were on him like bees on honey and worried way too much for his liking. He sought refuge in his office. He knew that the team would leave him alone for a few hours if he was there; they'd think he was "safe" there.

"Growling at the paperwork won't make it go away." A female voice said from the doorway.

Horatio looked up to see Alexx Woods smiling at him. She hadn't seen him earlier in the shift, since she had been busy with an autopsy down at the morgue. Now she was free and her first stop on her break was Horatio's office.

"I'll try not to mother you too much, but I just wanted to know how you are feeling today." Alexx said and sat down on the guest chair.

"I'm fine. I'm tired and I'm beginning to get hungry, but I'm fine." Horatio said, "I just wish everyone else would understand it."

"Well, we're all worried about you." Alexx said, "You always look after us and put everyone else's well-being before your own, and now it's time for us to look after you."

"I'm not going to break into two, just because I take the stairs to the lab rather than the elevator." Horatio said.

Calleigh had freaked when the Lieutenant had arrived at work and chosen to use the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator that had gotten stuck. If Horatio wasn't pregnant she would have never freaked out; giving him a tongue-lashing for not being careful and possibly injuring himself.

"I know I'm also overprotective, but this is a bit too much." He sighed.

"Well, talk to them about it." Alexx said, "You know none of us will stop worrying, but we will back off if you tell us to. The only person who won't take a step back will be Mac. But my husband was the same during my two pregnancies."

Horatio smiled at the mention of his lover. He loved Mac with all of his heart, even if the man drove him nuts with his overprotective mothering. He knew everyone only meant well and he appreciated their concern and their protectiveness, but not when they were doing it too much.

"How do I tell them?" Horatio asked.

"Just tell them that they need to give you some space." Alexx said, "You're only 11 weeks pregnant, so they should back off a bit."

"Yeah, I guess you'll all be more and more worried as the pregnancy progresses."

"Oh yes, we will." Alexx grinned, "Just remember, that we're only looking after our favorite redhead."

Horatio grinned. Alexx was right. The team was family and family took care of each other.

At lunch Horatio kindly told his team to give him some space and not worry too much. The team blushed, as they realized they had all acted like nervous mother hens towards the redhead and that he probably had enough of that from Mac at home.

"What is Mac doing today by the way?" Calleigh asked, "It's his first day alone in the house."

"Probably painting the nursery, buying clothes for the baby, checking baby name books." Horatio shrugged.

"Aw, that's cute." Calleigh grinned.

**-I-**

Mac was taking a break from his painting project in the nursery while having lunch and reading through a book of names for girls. He was absolutely sure that the baby was a girl. Not that he would be sad if the baby was a boy, but his gut told him it wasn't a boy and he trusted his gut.

He liked so many, many names in the book and he had circled all of them to show Horatio later. There were for example, the names: _Caylee_, _Ainsley, Debbie, Fatima, Cadence, Drew, Michelle, Ashleigh, Mary and Catherine._

Since Mac was all about girls' names, Horatio had told him a few boys' name, like _Kevin, Noah, Michael, Patrick and Gavin_.

The two of them would have a really hard time naming the baby once it was born. They had decided to wait until they could finally hold their bundle of joy to name it. When Mac was done, he went back to the nursery and continued painting the walls.

He used a light green color and painted the rails white. Soon the room would be filled with furniture and toys. Mac couldn't wait to start buying furniture for the child.

He had never thought he'd be so excited about having a child. He had to admit that the only other time he had ever thought of having children, was when he was married to Claire. When she had died, he had put that thought away and unconsciously made himself think that children wasn't for him or that he would be a bad father. With Horatio by his side, he knew he would be the best father he could be. His lover would be an amazing father too.

Mac truly hoped the baby would inherit his lover's red hair and blue eyes. He wouldn't be disappointed if the baby didn't, but he would love to have a little redhead running around in the house. Just the thought of little feet sounding on the floor made him smile. And he didn't mind at all the fact, that he would have to wake up in the middle of the night and feed the baby.

All the things that came with having a child were a blessing, not a curse.

Mac had already bought several photo frames where he and Horatio could put pictures of their child. Mac couldn't really wait several more months, before he got to hold his and his lover's surprise. Because the baby sure was a big surprise. A happy and wanted surprise, but a surprise nonetheless.

**-I-**

"It's so unfair." Horatio muttered.

Eric and Calleigh were out on a scene with Frank and Alexx. Ryan had just returned from a crime scene with Frank and Horatio was still stuck in the lab. He was eyeing the coffee machine and trying to control his urge to just have one tiny little cup of coffee. He wasn't allowed to drink it anymore now that he was pregnant and Mac had even gone as far as to quit drinking it himself, just to keep Horatio from doing it.

However, the New Yorker could handle not having coffee, Horatio couldn't. And what was worse was that he didn't have his craving at the lab either; pineapples.

He had already sent Mac out late at night to buy pineapples, because he desperately needed it. Horatio had never liked it before he got pregnant, but now he was obsessed with it.

"Why are you growling?" Ryan asked.

He went to the coffee machine and saw Horatio angry glare. Ryan bit his lower lip to keep from laughing as the big, tough redheaded CSI who could scare the most deviant men and make a grown man cry by just looking at him, was growling at a coffee machine. Nothing ever made Horatio Caine lose his control… except the damn coffee machine that he couldn't touch without having someone from the team slap his hand away and give him a tongue-lashing.

"You realize that this is the perfect opportunity to quit the coffee." Ryan smiled and sat at the table cross from his boss, "After the baby is born you might not even go back to drinking it, because you've been away from it so long."

"I know, but I really _want_ coffee." Horatio sighed.

Ryan chuckled, "If I run to the store across the street and buy some pineapples, will that cheer you up?"

Horatio lit up like a lighthouse and grinned, "You would do that?"

"Yeah, if it keeps you from murdering the coffee machine with your angry glare, then yes."

Horatio rolled his eyes as Ryan smirked.

"Okay, thank you Ryan." He said.

"Anytime, H." Ryan smiled and left.

It felt like an eternity for Horatio, but in reality it was just five minutes before Ryan returned with a pineapple. He had never seen Horatio so interested in food before, but the man had finished eating in under a minute and he was a much, much happier man when he was done.

**-I-**

When Horatio came home, he found his lover asleep in the recliner with green paint all over his hands and face. Horatio smiled and looked inside the nursery; it was beautiful. Perfect for a kid. It warmed his soul to know that Mac had spent all day painting the walls. He heard Mac groan and stir and went back to the living room where he was.

"Hello, love." Horatio smiled and gave the younger man a kiss on the lips.

"Hi." Mac yawned and took Horatio's face in his hands to kiss him some more.

When they parted Horatio had two green hand prints on his cheek. Mac chuckled.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. You're face is also green." Horatio said.

"Hey, look in the name book." Mac smiled and handed the baby name book to his lover.

Horatio's eyes widened, as he saw how many names Mac had circled to show that he liked them.

"Mac, we're having one child not a hundred. How are we going to be able to choose between all these names?" Horatio asked.

Mac shrugged, "Nobody said naming a baby was easy."

Horatio shook his head amused and dragged his lover to the master bathroom.

"You are going to give me a massage." Horatio smiled, "I need it."

"Anything for you, love." Mac grinned.

The two of them got undressed and stepped inside the shower. Horatio loved getting a massage while taking a shower and as Mac worked on his back, the redhead just relaxed and enjoyed the moment of being pampered.

"I love you Mac." He said.

Mac kissed his love's neck and smiled.

"I love you too."

_**Please review!**_

**Editor/Beta's notes: **_"I apologize if I've missed any mistakes, I am human...I do my best to catch ALL mistakes, but some can slip through.__Thanks, Alisa" _


	8. Chapter 8

**Thank you all very much for the reviews! And a big **_**thank you**_** to my beta,**_** Alisa**_**, for not only editing the chapter but helping with some details about male pregnancy as well.**

After going to McDonalds at around midnight almost every day for four weeks, the night shift staff knew exactly who Mac was and what he would order when they saw his car. Well, his and Horatio's car. Their new silver colored Toyota Corolla. It was a better family car then Horatio's "baby"; his 1955 Buick.

So when Mac pulled up at the drive-through at McDonalds one Friday night, he didn't even have to order. He just picked up the food and drove away after chatting a little with the staff. They were used to men and women coming late at night to shop for their pregnant partners.

Horatio's craving wasn't a McDonald's hamburger though, but pineapples. However, during midnight every day since he had been around 10 weeks pregnant, he had demanded two hamburgers to eat. Otherwise he couldn't go back to sleep, he claimed. Before Mac had moved down, Horatio had driven to McDonalds by himself to buy it, now he just forced Mac to do it.

As tired as Mac was during this time of the night, he happily did what his lover wanted or he knew there would be hell to pay. Horatio had always had a temper, but after getting pregnant he couldn't control it as good as before. His mood swings were just the kind Mac had seen in movies sometimes. It was quite amusing to see a grown man almost cry while watching the end of Titanic; something Horatio had never done before. Mac also knew it wasn't easy for the redhead to handle his mood swings. He could go from happy to sad or angry in seconds.

Mac yawned as he pulled into the driveway of his and Horatio's beach house. Horatio was already waiting by the front door and immidiately grabbed the bag of food when Mac approached him. He gave the younger man a quick kiss on the cheek, and went to the kitchen and sat down by the table to eat.

Mac just shook his head amused and watched as Horatio devoured his two hamburgers.

"What's so funny?" Horatio asked, with his mouth full when he saw Mac smile at him.

"You are."

Horatio shrugged and finished his meal.

"I got a new record." He grinned, "I have never finished this fast before."

"Be careful, so you don't choke on it." Mac warned, "You eat as if the food is going to disappear."

"The only place those hamburgers are going is my stomach." Horatio smiled.

The redhead stood up and embraced his lover. He snuggled his face into his chest and listened to Mac's heartbeat.

"Have I told you recently, that I love you?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, every time I bring home two hamburgers for you." Mac chuckled.

"Well, I love you even if you refuse to buy it. Just remember, that I need more pineapples tomorrow." Horatio said.

Mac smiled and grabbed Horatio's hand before leading him to the bedroom. They got undressed and lied down in their king size bed. Horatio fell asleep in seconds and Mac watched him. He put his hand over Horatio's still flat belly.

Calleigh claimed that Horatio was showing slightly, but the others weren't so sure. Horatio might as well just have put on some weight from eating so many hamburgers, although it seemed that no matter what the lieutenant ate he always stayed slim… well, until he got knocked up that is.

When the baby arrived, Horatio was going to take six months off for full-time paternity leave. He had the right to have a year off like the women, but he and Mac had decided that he'd only take six months and then go back to work part-time, (sharing his position with Calleigh so she was the boss when he wasn't in the lab), until their baby turned one. After that Horatio hadn't decided if he wanted to go back to work full-time or continue with working only part-time. Mac had a gut feeling, that the redhead would stick to working only part-time.

**-I-**

Mac often found Horatio in the bathroom in the mornings, but not because the other man was nauseous anymore. The redhead was first of all an early-riser, but it also seemed as if his body refused to let him sleep past 7am. Horatio would always wake up first and take a long, hot shower; which was usually when Mac woke up and joined him. This morning hadn't been any different and after some nice cuddling in the shower, the two men were getting ready to leave for some shopping for the baby.

"Do you think we'll have more children after this one?" Horatio asked.

He was standing in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom and rubbing his belly, while patiently waiting for Mac to get dressed so they could go shopping for a crib, some shelves to put the baby's future books in, a baby chair, a swing and a baby car seat.

"Yeah, maybe. I think we should wait to decide that, until after we have our first bundle of joy though." Mac smiled.

The fact that Horatio was older made it more difficult for him to get pregnant. Unlike women; men, (those that had the ability to become pregnant), could get pregnant throughout their lives. However, their chances of getting pregnant got slimmer as they got older and also their chances of keeping the baby and not having a miscarriage.

Another thing that kept men from having "too many" children, was the fact that after being pregnant 3 to 5 times the body said "stop". Scientists had long searched for a specific reason as to why the male body simply rejected any pregnancy after a while, but they were to this day somewhat clueless about it. Their theory was that it was simply the body's way of saying that enough was enough. It was highly unusual for men to get pregnant six or seven times.

Mac had read a lot about male pregnancy on the internet, and Horatio's doctor had also told them everything that the scientists knew so far about it.

Through the internet Mac had also found support groups for pregnant men and their partners. However, Horatio had been in a bad mood when Mac had suggested that they should go to one of the groups meetings ,so he had refused to be part of any support group at all.

However, after a little persuasion the redhead had at least agreed to chat online with other pregnant men; some of which were pregnant for the second, third or even fourth time. The men who were not pregnant for the first time, acted as coaches and could often give pep talks to the pregnant partner when he was having a bad day or the not pregnant partner when he was having a bad day or simply didn't know how to handle all the mood swings and cravings.

"Let's go." Mac smiled when he was dressed.

Before the two men could drive to IKEA though, Horatio wanted to have some tea. A special herbal caffeine free tea, that Alexx had suggested he'd take instead of coffee. It had taken a few days to get used to the tea, but now he loved it more than coffee.

Even Mac drank the tea instead of coffee, just to show that even he could quit the caffeine addiction no matter how hard it was. Even if he wasn't the one who was pregnant, it was a way of supporting his lover.

After having his tea, Horatio and Mac could finally get on their way to IKEA.

Once they were there it proved to be easy to find a crib and some shelves, but harder to find a swing, a baby chair and a car seat. There were many different colors and Mac (who thought the baby was a girl) wanted a girlish color. While Horatio wasn't so sure about the gender of the baby and therefore wanted a neutral color.

"What if the baby is a boy and all we have bought is girl-stuff and clothes?" Horatio asked, "And a _pink_ car seat."

"Well, you know we don't have to be so stereotypical." Mac smiled, "What boy can't sit in a pink car seat?"

"You're hopeless." Horatio rolled his eyes, "I'm taking this baby chair; it's just a chair anyway."

Horatio picked out a red swing and a black car seat, while Mac picked out a light green swing and a pink car seat.

"Okay, this is crazy. We need a third person's opinion." Horatio chuckled and pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket.

He dialed Frank's number and the Texan picked up after the first ring.

"Frank, Mac and I need your help." Horatio said, "What is best out of the following; a red swing or a light green one?"

"Um… red." Frank said.

"Okay. What about car seats then, a pink one or black one?"

"Well, black is kind of boring don't you think?" Frank said, "I guess Mac picked out the pink one, huh?"

"Yes."

"What other colors are there?"

"Dark blue, light blue, green, red, white, orange, yellow and even purple." Horatio said.

"Take orange." Frank said.

"Orange?"

"Yeah, it works for both boys and girls."

"Yeah, alright. Thanks Frank." Horatio said and hung up.

"Alright, you win. We take the red swing." Mac said, "Why did Frank say we should take the orange car seat?"

"He said it works for both boys and girls."

Mac and Horatio took a closer look at the orange car seat. Frank was right. It wasn't even completely orange in Mac's opinion, more like orange-yellow. But it looked quite nice.

"Alright, we'll take that one." Mac smiled.

Horatio grinned and picked it up. Then the two lovers went to the cash desks to pay.

**-I-**

Ryan and Eric would usually spend their weekends partying or just being lazy after a week of hard work. However, they had decided to help Mac and Horatio put together the crib and the baby chair, as well as putting the shelves on the wall.

"H… if you look at the manual, you might actually be able to put the chair together today." Eric pointed out when Horatio failed for the fourth time to put the, "useless piece of crap" as he called it, together.

"I don't need NO freaking manual." He muttered.

"Of course not. You'll probably succeed after ten tries. You just keep fighting the chair H, I'm cheering for you." Eric smirked.

Horatio rolled his eyes and snatched the manual out of Eric's hand. The younger man watched amused, as Horatio realized that he had put the wrong screws at the wrong places. Horatio slapped his hand against his forehead and sighed heavily.

In the bedroom Mac and Ryan had just finished putting the crib together, and were now moving on to the shelves. Three shelves were going on to the wall; it would seem as an easy thing to do for two grown men… but no, the shelves were heavier than Mac and Ryan had thought and also longer. It was hard for Ryan to hold it up while Mac tried to use the screwdriver to fasten them to the wall.

After failing three times, they gave up and called for Eric to come and help them.

"Did you guys read the manual?" Eric asked.

"Yes." Ryan said, "Why wouldn't we?"

"H doesn't." Eric shrugged, "Well, he didn't until I suggested it to him."

Mac chuckled and they all listened, when they heard a string of curses coming from the kitchen as Horatio failed again.

"Horatio... love, please take a break." Mac called out.

"I don't need a break!" Horatio growled.

"I think you do, or else there won't be much left of that chair." Mac said.

They heard Horatio mutter something incoherent before the front door opened and closed as Horatio went for a walk.

"I've never seen him so angry." Ryan said.

"Oh he's not angry. He's just a little annoyed right now." Mac grinned, "You should see him when I tell him that I forgot to buy pineapples, and then you'll see a _very_ angry Horatio Caine."

Ryan and Eric chuckled as they imagined poor Mac trying to calm down his angry lover. They could only imagine how pissed Horatio really got and just because he didn't get his precious pineapples; pregnancy sure was a funny thing.

By the time Horatio got back, the three men had put the shelves on the wall and finished with the baby chair. They were relaxing on the back porch with some beer and pizza. Horatio sighed as he joined them and sat down next to his lover by the round table. Mac handed him a bottle of water and Horatio immidiately drank half of it.

"Feel better?" Eric asked.

"Yeah, sorry about that guys." Horatio sighed.

"No need to apologize H." Ryan smiled, "We're used to your mood swings at work and even then you hold back."

"Well, I can't go around getting angry outbursts at work, can I?"

"No. Well… it depends on who is there when you get it." Eric said, "The team can handle it, but maybe not the Chief."

"Then it's a good thing he almost never visits the lab." Horatio said.

"I just wish I had videotaped you when you tried to put the chair together, H." Eric smirked.

"Well you had your chance and you missed it." Horatio said.

"There will be more opportunities to videotape you." Eric grinned, "Like when you get that killer look in your eyes when somebody doesn't answer their phone."

"People should answer their phones." Horatio muttered.

"You would have never been angry at that before you got pregnant." Ryan said.

"Hey! Be nice to me; I'm knocked up and you're making fun of me." Horatio exclaimed.

"You have to admit that you're funny when you're cursing at whoever you care calling if they don't pick up." Eric chuckled, "And best part is that you can be pissed about it for hours."

Horatio had to admit that it was probably fun to see their usually in-control-at-all-times-boss suddenly get angry for such little things. He couldn't help but laugh and the other three men soon joined in.

Mac kissed Horatio's brow and handed him a slice of pizza.

"Did you put the chair together?" He asked.

"Yeah." Mac said.

"But that was my job."

"If we would have let you do it then it would have taken all night." Mac chuckled.

Horatio stuck his tongue out at his lover and grabbed Mac's pizza box. He got up and sat down on the other side of the table next to Ryan. Mac reached for the pizza but Horatio was quicker and pulled it out his reach.

"You want pizza, you order a new one." Horatio smirked, "I'm eating for two so I need this more than you."

"I'm afraid he got you there, Mac." Ryan grinned and Eric nodded in agreement.

"Once the baby is born I am so getting back at you for this." Mac growled playfully with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

_**Please reviews and do you guys have anymore name suggestions?...also: what is a "babysitter"...NOT, the "human" kind.**_

**Editor/Beta's notes: **_"I apologize if I've missed any mistakes, I am human...I do my best to catch ALL mistakes, but some can slip through.__Thanks, Alisa" _


	9. Chapter 9

**Thanks **_**very much**_** for all the reviews! And **_**thanks**_** to my beta, **_**Alisa!**_

Mac woke up to the feeling of someone kissing his chest and moving down to his stomach. He didn't need to open his eyes to know that it was his lover. Mac smiled and ran his hands through Horatio's red hair. He finally opened his eyes, when he felt a hand wrap around his growing erection. He looked into his lover's blue eyes and grinned.

"Good morning." Mac said.

"Good morning, love."

Horatio bent down and kissed the head of Mac's member. The younger man gasped. The two lovers often slept naked. Horatio used to say it was because he didn't feel like having to shed any clothes in morning when he woke up and felt the need for some sex. Mac said it was because it was too hot to sleep with clothes on. He wasn't as used to the Miami weather as his lover.

"How's the little one today?" Mac asked, and then groaned when Horatio started stroking his throbbing length.

Horatio grinned and his eyes lit up like a lighthouse when Mac mentioned their baby. He looked down at his baby bump. He was 16 weeks pregnant already and showing a nice bump. Horatio's doctor said the bump was a little bigger than usual because the baby was pushing forward. Some babies lied very far back which caused the belly to not grow very much. Some babies were neither lying far back nor pushing forward. There had been some concerns about twins, but Horatio's doctor Melinda Carter hadn't seen signs of twins so far. _If_ that was the case, one baby was hiding behind the other and then the twins were also small, since Horatio didn't really have a "normal" twin belly.

"He or she is doing just fine." Horatio smiled.

The redhead bent down and took his lover's erect manhood into his mouth. Mac arched his back and moaned. His eyes closed and he grabbed a fistful of Horatio's hair.

"Uh, H!"

Horatio smirked and gently nipped at Mac's length, causing the younger man to cry out and squirm with pleasure. Mac was panting and sweating and Horatio had barely even started.

The redhead managed to find the lube he had hidden under the sheet and opened it. Mac groaned when he felt the older man's lubed digit get pushed inside him.

"Oh, god!"

Horatio felt his own member twitch with the need for attention, but he got his own desire to be touched under control, and focused only on giving pleasure to his dark haired lover.

Mac was writhing on the bed by the time Horatio added a second digit inside him. He nudged Mac's prostate and the younger man couldn't hold back any longer; he came with a moan.

Horatio swallowed everything his lover had to give and then let the softening member slip out of his mouth.

Mac gave the older man a playful glare when he heard him chuckle.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You. Guess your control isn't the best in the morning, huh?" Horatio teased.

"Not when you're giving me a blow-job and is, oh god, playing with my-my-"

"Prostate." Horatio smirked, "Having a hard time talking, love?"

Mac just growled and arched his back when Horatio added a third digit. Horatio bent down and kissed Mac's stomach. He could feel the younger man already growing hard again. With his free hand he started stroking Mac.

"Ah, Horatio." Mac moaned.

Mac was surprised at how fast he was getting hard again, but knew it was because of his lover and his talents in bed. Mac considered Horatio to be some sort of a sex-god.

"Uh, god yes!"

Horatio grinned and stopped stroking his lover. He lubed up his own throbbing manhood and positioned himself at Mac's entrance. Just as he pulled his digits out he pushed inside with his member and stopped; giving Mac time to adjust to having Horatio inside him. Mac wrapped his legs around Horatio's waist and pushed him deeper inside.

"Uh, Mac!"

"Oh, god love!" Mac gasped.

Horatio grabbed Mac's hips and started thrusting slowly, but hard. Mac grabbed the headboard so tightly his knuckles turned white. Horatio's length hit his lover's prostate with every thrust the he made. Horatio's nails dug into Mac's hips and the redhead clenched his teeth as he felt pleasure run through his entire body.

"Mac, ah!"

Horatio started thrusting faster and Mac cried out in pleasure. Both men were sweating heavily and panting. The bed moved with every thrust Horatio made and it banged against the wall. Mac arched his back and released the headboard; he pulled his lover down for a passionate kiss. They soon had to part to breathe and Horatio rested his head on Mac's chest, as he started thrusting as fast and hard as he could.

Suddenly something jumped up on the bed, and lied down on Horatio's back; it was Elvis of course.

"God dammit Elvis!" Horatio growled and sat up; making Elvis slid off his back and down on the bed.

Elvis didn't give up though; he was determined to cuddle _now_. Mac tried to push Elvis away, as the ginger cat approached him and rubbed his face against Mac's face.

"Elvis!" He exclaimed.

Horatio felt himself getting closer to climax, and he used all the strength he had to thrust into his lover. Mac squirmed on the bed with pleasure, while on the same time continuing to push Elvis away. The cat was more stubborn then that neither of his two masters.

"Uh god, Mac!" Horatio cried out.

He felt Mac's body tense and knew the younger man was also close. Horatio bit down on his lower lip, as he felt a familiar sensation running through his body; he thrusted hard one last time and came with a groan. Mac followed with a gasp as his body tensed and he clenched around Horatio's member.

As Horatio collapsed against Mac, Elvis wasted no time and once against jumped up on Horatio's back. The redhead sighed.

"We should buy a female cat for Elvis to play with." He muttered.

"Hasn't he been fixed?" Mac asked.

"Yes, dammit… okay, we'll just lock him out of the bedroom next time." Horatio sighed.

He sat up and once again Elvis slid off his back. Horatio pulled his soft member out of Mac's body and kissed him, before climbing out of bed and heading for the bathroom.

"Hey! You're just going to leave me here in bed all alone?" Mac asked.

"You could always join me in the shower." Horatio suggested.

Mac didn't need to think twice about it as he quickly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Elvis was left alone on the bed and he didn't like it one bit. As revenge he dragged Mac's pillow with him to the living room couch, where he attempted to eat it. He failed to eat it of course, but at least he managed to destroy it.

**-I-**

While Horatio was at work Mac was chatting online with a few members of the support group he had found weeks earlier. The support group was there to help pregnant men and their partners with basically anything that had to do with pregnancy. Some members were first-time parents like Mac and Horatio; others were expecting their second, third and even fourth child. The ones who had been pregnant before were the ones to give advice. For obvious reasons, they knew what it was like to expect a baby more than the first-time parents.

Mac had asked what he should do when his lover lost his temper over something small. A few days earlier Horatio had burnt his microwave food, (something that would have never before made the redhead so angry), and Horatio had almost started crying because he got so frustrated. Mac had heard him cursing from the kitchen and come to see his lover angrily throwing the food in the trashcan and slamming the cabinet door shut. The burnt food had for Horatio been the last straw that day, and he had spent hours being angry because of it. Telling Mac how it felt like everything was going downhill for him now and that his back had started hurting. Mac had listened as his lover had told him that everything just felt like crap.

Mac had been concerned when his lover had talked about it though. The more experienced members of the support group had told him that it was the hormones speaking and that all Mac could really do was to stand by Horatio's side, and show him that he had a shoulder to cry on. Horatio had been much happier hours later and the mood swings weren't something new to the couple. But it still amazed Mac, how much the pregnancy hormones affected Horatio sometimes.

Today Mac was talking to another member of the group about cravings. Horatio's craving was pineapples. He was absolutely crazy about it and if he didn't get it _exactly_ when he wanted it, he could be pissed at Mac for a whole day because; even if Mac hurried to buy pineapples to cheer his lover up.

"_Is it wrong of me to buy him that whenever he wants?"_ Mac asked on the online chat.

Mac was chatting with a man named Tommy. Tommy and his boyfriend were expecting their third child; it was Tommy's boyfriend Lawrence that was pregnant.

"_No, it's not wrong. You feel like you're doing something wrong__,__ because you give him anything he wants?"_ Tommy wrote.

"_Not really."_

"_Well, you're not doing anything wrong. Being pregnant isn't always easy for men or women and as their partners__,__ we just have to support them as best as we can."_

"_You ever feel like you want to tell Lawrence to just suck it up? I have to admit__,__ that being forced to buy pineapples or McDonald's hamburgers in the middle of the night isn't always fun."_

"_I agree, but you just have to remind yourself__,__ that you're doing it to be nice and to show support."_

Mac smiled and thanked Tommy. Some people said Mac had the patience of a saint. However, even he could lose his temper. He and Horatio had had fights even before Horatio got pregnant; every couple has fights. And as much as Mac loved Horatio, he had to admit that sometimes he just felt like refusing to give in and buy Horatio his cravings. Having to wake up in the middle of the night, and buy pineapples or hamburgers was exhausting in the long run.

But he would continue doing it for the man he loved. Horatio knew that Mac sometimes felt like refusing to do it, and was always grateful that he still did what he asked for. A pregnant Horatio with mood swings wasn't always easy to deal with, and sometimes it was easier to give in than to fight. After all, Mac just wanted Horatio to be happy.

**-I-**

For some reason people found it extremely adorable to see Lieutenant Horatio Caine with a baby bump. Every time he arrived at work the receptionist, Paula, would give him a certain look and say "aw". When he walked around the PD, the cops would smile at him and look at the baby bump.

Today was Horatio was going to watch behind the two-way-mirror, as Ryan and Calleigh interrogated a suspect. He had nothing better to do and the two of them were great interrogators. Frank Tripp joined him behind the mirror after a few minutes.

"What did this guy do?" He asked.

Frank hadn't worked on the case with Calleigh and Ryan.

"He murdered his ex-wife and her sister." Horatio said, "When he found out his ex-wife had started dating a new guy, he lost it. Of course, he's not admitting it… yet."

"But Cal and Ryan have proof." Frank said.

"Yeah, he's not a very smart killer. He hid the murder weapon at his home, his fingerprints are on it and we got threatening phone calls made from him to his ex-wife where he tells her he will kill her." Horatio sighed, "And last but not least, we got his shoeprints inside the house and in the blood belonging to his former sister-in-law."

"He's an idiot then, so he should just confess." Frank said.

After several minutes the man finally did confess. He made sure that Cal and Ryan understood that his ex-wife, or "bitch" as he called her, deserved what she got.

"She didn't deserve to get murdered Mr. Chase." Calleigh said, "You deserve to spend the rest of your life in jail though, and that is exactly what you will do. She didn't deserve to die, just because she had moved on and met someone else."

"She belonged to me."

"You two had been divorced for six years." Ryan said, "You were the one who filed for divorce, so obviously you didn't love her very much."

Mr. Chase just waved dismissively with his hand and stood up, as an officer approached him. The officer cuffed him and led him outside the room to book him. Horatio and Frank left their spot behind the two-way-mirror and joined Calleigh and Ryan in the hallway outside the interrogation room.

"Nice work." Horatio smiled.

"Thanks." Ryan and Calleigh said.

"Mr. Chase got out of jail two weeks ago after a spending some time inside for driving under the influence." Ryan said.

"He's going right back in." Calleigh said, as they all watched the officer book Mr. Chase.

However, the officer was fresh out of the academy and nervous while doing his first booking of a criminal, and all Mr. Chase needed was for him to look away for one second. The officer did and Mr. Chase saw his opportunity. He kicked the officer in the groin and took off down the hallway. Running straight toward the group of three CSIs and the Texan detective.

It took only seconds for him to reach them and for them to get their guns out of their holsters. Mr. Chase had no plans to stop though, and even when Calleigh shot him in the shoulder to slow him down, he stilled ran straight into them all. Knocking Horatio and Ryan down on the floor, with Ryan stumbling against Horatio, and knocking Frank against the wall.

What Mr. Chase hadn't counted on though, was the southern belle named Calleigh Duquesne. Calleigh grabbed his ponytail and yanked him back. Mr. Chase grunted and fell down on the floor. He groaned as he fell on his cuffed arms. Calleigh aimed her gun at his head and glared at him.

"Haven't you heard that you're not supposed to mess with a southern woman?" Frank asked, as he joined Calleigh.

He pulled Mr. Chase to his feet. Mr. Chase said nothing and Frank led him back to the newbie officer, who was holding an ice pack to his groin. Together with another officer Frank made sure that Mr. Chase got to a holding cell.

In the meantime, Ryan and Horatio were picking themselves up from the floor and Calleigh walked over to them. Ryan looked okay, but Calleigh noticed blood coming from Horatio's nose.

"You're bleeding!" She exclaimed.

She guided Horatio to a bench and Ryan hurried to get some paper towels. Calleigh tilted Horatio's head back and called Alexx.

"Cal, I'm fine. I think Ryan's arm hit my nose, that's all." Horatio said.

"I still want Alexx to take a look." Calleigh said concerned.

Ryan came back with some paper towels and wasted no time, using them to stop the bleeding. Horatio's wasn't bleeding much though and by the time Alexx arrived, it had nearly stopped.

"How did this happen?" Alexx asked, as she started inspecting Horatio's nose.

Calleigh told her what Mr. Chase had done. Alexx's eyes widened with worry.

"Did Ryan fall on you?" She asked Horatio.

"No, but I think his arm bumped into my nose. It's nothing serious." Horatio said.

"Did you fall on your back?" Alexx asked, worried that he might have fallen in his belly.

"Yeah, I kind of fell against the wall and slid down on the floor."

"Any pain?"

"No."

"Are you sure? The belly feels fine? You didn't knock the belly against anything?" Alexx asked.

Calleigh gasped, as she realized what Alexx was worried about. A hit against Horatio's belly could cause a miscarriage.

"No, I'm fine." Horatio insisted.

"I want you to please get checked out at the hospital." Alexx said.

"Alexx." Horatio sighed.

"Horatio, you have to be sure that you really are okay." Ryan said.

"Please do as Alexx asks." Calleigh insisted.

They looked at their friend with pleading eyes, and Horatio sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll drive to the hospital." He said.

"I'm driving." Calleigh said, "You can call Mac in the meantime."

**-I-**

Mac wasted no time pampering his lover when they got back home from the hospital. The baby was fine and all Horatio had was a sore nose; it wasn't even broken. Horatio let Mac drag him to the bathroom and fill the tub with warm water. Horatio smiled, as he slid down into the tub. Mac sat on the floor next to it and started washing Horatio's back. The older man let Mac pamper him.

"I'm sorry I scared you today." Horatio said after several minutes of silence.

"It's not your fault." Mac said, "It's that damn Mr. Chase."

Horatio grinned and Mac leaned close to give the redhead a kiss. Mac had thought he would pass out when Horatio had called him from the car, and told him about the incident with Mr. Chase. It was a miracle that Mac had been able to drive himself to the hospital with the way his hands had been shaking and his heart pounding in his chest.

Horatio had quietly let Doctor Carter do all the tests she had to and an ultrasound. The baby was fine. Horatio was fine. Mac was still worried though.

"We have to pack." Horatio said.

The couple was going to visit New York for four days, and they still hadn't packed. Their flight would leave early the next morning.

"I know. But right now, we don't have to do anything but enjoy this bath." Mac smiled.

"I feel lonely in the tub though." Horatio smirked.

He saw Mac swallow hard and knew what he was doing to his lover.

"Horatio, I don't think tonight is the right night to-"

"I'm not saying we have to have sex." Horatio smiled, "But I want to be held by you in the tub. Right now."

Mac grinned and stood up. He got undressed and carefully slid down behind his lover in to the tub. He wrapped his arms around the redhead and let one hand slid down to the belly. Horatio still hadn't felt any movement from the baby, but had been told it would come soon. However, Mac would probably have to wait a little longer than Horatio before he would be able to feel anything.

"I love you, Horatio." Mac whispered.

"I love you too, Mac."

_**Please review!**_

**Editor/Beta's notes: **_"I apologize if I've missed any mistakes, I am human...I do my best to catch ALL mistakes, but some can slip through.__Thanks, Alisa"_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Thanks very much**_** for all the reviews! **

The usually bright and happy redhead, who loved to wake Mac up with a kiss, was anything but that while being pregnant. Mac was used to being pushed out of the bed in the mornings and then forced to make breakfast while his lover showered. Mac silently enjoyed it; he knew that if Horatio saw him smile about his antics he would be angry at him. Mac wasn't the only one who enjoyed Horatio and his pregnancy hormones; everyone did.  
>It was such a funny change from the otherwise calm, collected, happy, bright and loving redhead (well, at work he was calm, collected, tough and someone you simply didn't mess with). He wasn't evil though; he was just different. He could switch from happy to sad or angry in seconds.<p>

So like all others mornings Mac was obediently making breakfast for himself and his lover. Horatio was already 19 weeks pregnant and showing off a nice baby bump. He and Mac had decided on a name for a girl; _Caylee_.  
>If the baby was a boy it stood between the names <em>Noah<em> and _Kevin_.

"Wipe that smile off your face." Horatio muttered when he joined his lover in the kitchen after his shower.

Mac grinned and shook his head. As always the grumpy redhead grabbed a sandwich right out of Mac's hand and sat down by the table. Mac just grabbed his own sandwich and joined his lover by the table; they sat across each other.

"I'm sorry." Horatio sighed.

"Horatio, you know that you have nothing to be sorry for. If you can't vent on your lover then who can you vent on?" Mac asked.

Horatio smiled and reached over the table to grab his lover's hand. He gave it a light squeeze and Mac switched his place so he sat next to the redhead instead. Horatio rested his head against Mac's shoulder and continued eating his breakfast. Mac gently put his hand over the baby bump and felt the baby kick. He had only been able to start feeling it a few days ago, but it was something he loved to do; just putting his hand over his lover's bump and feel their baby move.

Horatio said their baby moved less when Mac was around and that it was probably because Mac calmed him or her down. Horatio also loved to feel their child move; except when the baby kicked when he was trying to sleep.

"I am being a pain in the ass sometimes, aren't I?" Horatio asked.

"Only sometimes. But I love you anyway." Mac smiled and kissed his lover's head.

Horatio smiled and wrapped his arms around the younger man. Their friends used to say that there could be no love more true and strong than theirs. There was also a lot of talk about which of them would be soft parent and which one would be the "strict" one. Everyone agreed that although both men would be softies, Mac would probably be the one unable to say the word no. While Horatio would have less problem doing so and therefore be the "strict" parent.

"I have to go to work now." Horatio said and pulled away from the other man.

Mac's eyes were (as always) filled with concern and Horatio kissed his cheek before standing up and going to front door. Mac followed him and pulled Horatio in for a kiss. He then got down on one knee and put both his hands on the belly.

"You be nice to dad now." Mac grinned as he talked the baby.

He felt two kicks and took that as a yes. Horatio chuckled and grabbed Mac's hand to pull him to his feet. After one last kiss Horatio went out the front door and Mac watched as he got inside the hummer and drove away. He would always worry about Horatio while he was at work.

He decided to take a shower before doing some errands. He was going to buy some more baby clothes (this time for a boy) and set up a college account for the child at the bank.

**-I-**

Mac didn't have a hero complex, but he wasn't about to let someone innocent get hurt if he could prevent it. He had just gone to the bank to start an account for his and Horatio's child; a college account. He hadn't even been there two minutes before three men had rushed in with automatic guns in their hands, ski-masks over their faces and dressed all in black. Like everybody else Mac had been forced down on the floor. The security guard had managed to shot one of the robbers in the abdomen before getting shot in the chest by a second robber.

The injured robber was losing blood fast and it wasn't long before he wasn't conscious anymore. The other two robbers quickly took all the cash they could and were about to walk out the door when a woman's baby started to cry.

One of the robbers turned to the woman and aimed the gun at her head. He yelled at her to "shut the baby up"; the woman tried, but her child continued crying. Mac got the perfect idea. Well, it wasn't completely perfect because there was a risk that he would get hurt, but he had to try. When the man cocked the gun and warned the woman one more time, Mac jumped up on his feet and tackled him to the ground.

The man he tackled was too stunned to react and Mac only needed a few seconds to kick him in the ribs and take his gun. Unfortunately for Mac he wasn't hiding behind anything and it took only a few seconds for the other robber to pull the trigger of his gun.

Mac felt the pain as the bullet entered his body. Lucky for him the robber was a lousy shot; he could have hit his back or head, but he shot him in the left shoulder. Mac aimed the automatic gun he had taken, but he wasn't quick enough. The other man shot him again in the same shoulder. Mac gasped and dropped the gun he was holding.

He collapsed on the floor and felt blood run down his arm. The man he tackled stood up and took his gun back. The two robbers quickly ran out the door and disappeared. Mac lied on the floor and all he could think of was Horatio. His lover would be devastated to hear that he had gotten shot. And what about their baby?

He didn't notice as the other people at the bank tried to help him, he didn't notice that the paramedics arrived and loaded him into an ambulance. He just stared straight ahead and could only see his lover's face; smiling at him.

In the ambulance he lost consciousness.

**-I-**

Frank had been one of the cops that had arrived at the scene of the robbery. He had just missed Mac being loaded into the ambulance. It wasn't until one of the uniformed officers had told him that the only two people hurt were the security guard Jeremy Carlisle, whom had against all odds survived, and Mac Taylor. The only fatality was the dead robber that the security guard had shot.

With shaky hands he had called Calleigh and told her what had happened. Calleigh had been just as shocked as Frank. The Texan had driven to the lab and immidiately found his redheaded best friend in his office. Frank hadn't even been able to open his mouth before Alexx and the rest of the team showed up. They all worried about what the news of Mac's shooting would do to him, especially in his current condition. They had never seen their boss and friend so pale or so close to passing out as when they had told him that Mac had been shot.

Now Frank, Alexx and Horatio were sitting in the waiting area in the hospital; patiently waiting for any news about the New Yorker.  
>All they knew was that Mac had been shot twice in the same shoulder and that he had been taken to emergency surgery. Alexx was reading a magazine, Frank was looking around the waiting area and Horatio was pale as a ghost and just staring at the floor. He hadn't eaten in several hours and both Alexx and Frank knew that they'd soon have no choice but to force him to eat. If not for his own sake then for the baby's sake.<p>

"Why is it taking so long?" Horatio asked.

He hadn't said a word since arriving at the hospital. Alexx and Frank glanced at each other. They knew what the redhead was thinking; no news was good news. Besides, Mac was still in surgery and would be for a few more hours. There was nothing anyone could do at the moment. But still, Horatio needed to know_ something_.

"Sorry, I just… I need to know that he's okay." Horatio whispered.

They could see the tears in his eyes. Horatio rarely cried, especially not in front of anyone. But he was very close to tears now and understandably so. Frank put a comforting hand on his shoulder. Alexx grabbed Horatio's hand; he was sitting between his two friends.

Everybody jumped when Frank's phone rang. He answered it and the conversation was short. The team was busy working on the robbery scene, but was calling with updates as often as they could.

"That was Calleigh. They found blood that doesn't belong to Mac, the dead robber or the security guard, so possibly from the robber that Mac tackled." Frank said.

The surveillance cameras in the bank had caught the whole thing so the team and Horatio knew about all the details of the case. Horatio was proud of his lover for trying to take control over the situation and prevent a possible murder of a mother and child. However, he would still give him a tongue-lashing for scaring him so much.

"She also said that Danny Messer from New York is on his way down." Frank said, "He should be landing in a few hours."

"She called the New York team?" Horatio asked, "I completely forgot to do that."

"Nobody blames you. A Stella Bonasera sends her regards to you and wants us to tell you to not forget to eat something." Frank said.

Horatio shook his head. It seemed like everybody knew how he reacted when he was worried about someone as much as he was now; he didn't eat or sleep.

"I'll do that later." Horatio said.

"No sweetheart, you do that now." Alexx said firmly.

"No."

"Horatio, you might not feel like eating but trust me, your baby wants food." Alexx said and glanced down at Horatio's baby bump.

Horatio shook his head and stood up. They knew that pushing him too hard would make him angry, but not pushing him at all wasn't good either. Horatio looked around as if deciding where he should go.

"Horatio?" Frank asked.

"I need some air." He mumbled and started walking down the hallway.

Alexx and Frank shared a look and Alexx nodded for Frank to follow the redhead. She would wait and hope that the doctor would show up sooner rather than later.

Frank and Horatio took a walk outside the hospital. The redhead's stomach grumbled.

"Look, there's hotdog stand over there." Frank said and pointed further down the street, "Please, just have at least one hotdog for me."

Horatio didn't feel like eating. No matter how hungry his stomach was, his brain didn't agree. He sighed and Frank knew he had won. Without a word they bought a hotdog each. Frank devoured his in seconds, while Horatio only took tiny bites of his.

"Horatio, I know you don't feel hungry at all. But you need to eat." The Texan reminded.

"I know." Horatio sighed, "I just... I can't eat when Mac is… I don't even know if he's okay or not."

"No news-"

"Is good news, I know." Horatio said, "But I want to hear that he's okay. What if he gets permanent damage to his shoulder? What if he slips into a coma? People can be in comas for years, you know."

"Horatio, listen to me." Frank said and grabbed his friend by his shoulders to force him to look at him, "Mac will be okay. He is way too stubborn to do anything else and he loves you and your unborn child more than anything. He will not slip into a coma and he will recover. I am sure of it."

Horatio bit his lower lip. He wanted nothing more than to be as confident as Frank.

"Okay." He finally said.

He would force himself to be as optimistic as his friend.

**-I-**

Horatio had never seen Mac in a hospital bed before. Now he stood in a private room just staring at his lover. Mac had an oxygen mask covering his face and bandages covering his left shoulder where he had been shot. According to his doctor he would make full recovery, but he would be sore for some time and have to do some physical therapy once he had healed. The bullets hadn't caused any damage except blood loss and Mac would be feeling quite tired and weak for a while.

Frank and Alexx had been in for a quick visit and then left Horatio alone with his younger lover. They knew he needed it. After standing at the foot of the bed for almost forty minutes the redhead finally sat down on the chair next to the bed. He grabbed Mac's right hand and squeezed it softly. Then he pulled the hand to his belly. He knew how much Mac loved to feel their baby kick and hoped that it would make Mac wake up.

"We both miss you." Horatio whispered, "When you're feeling better I'm going to yell at you at little bit for scaring me and the baby though."

Horatio laid Mac's hand down on the bed again, but continued to hold it.

"But until you're better I'm going to be sweet like an angel and pamper you, just like you pamper me." He smiled, "I love you with all of my heart Mac and I wish you would wake up."

Horatio used his free hand to caress his lover's cheek. Mac looked pale; nothing weird with that since he had lost a lot of blood. Other than that he looked like he was just sleeping. Horatio wished they were both at home in bed and that Mac was really just sleeping. Not unconscious after having been shot.

"Please wake up, love." Horatio whispered.

There was a knock on the door and a familiar face peeked inside. Danny gave Horatio a smile and walked over to the older man. They shook hands and then Danny patted Horatio's shoulder to show support.

"How are you?" He asked, as he went around to the other side of the bed and sat down in a chair.

"I'll be better when Mac wakes up." Horatio said quietly.

"He will wake up." Danny said, "I heard that he tried to prevent one of the robbers from shooting a mother and child."

"Yeah, he did." Horatio smiled, "I'm proud of him."

"But you're still going to give him a tongue-lashing, right?" Danny grinned.

Horatio chuckled and nodded.

"Well, Stella is waiting for her turn to do so too." Danny said, "And probably Alexx, right?"

"Oh yes. And if I know you right you will have a few well chosen words to give Mac as well."

Danny shrugged and smirked. It wasn't because they were angry at Mac for being shot that they would give him a tongue-lashing, but because they cared and just wanted to warn him about scaring everyone. They knew Mac wouldn't be upset. If anything they would all probably laugh later. As long as Mac was alive and would be okay, then they were okay too.

"I'm going to stay down here for while. To help you and Mac." Danny said.

"What about work?" Horatio asked.

Danny smiled; typical Horatio to care about everybody else.

"I took some vacation time." Danny said, "Look, when Mac goes home he's going to need help with a lot of things and I don't doubt that you can help him. But you're pregnant so it's going to be harder for you and besides, you're going to need a break anyway."

Horatio nodded. Both men knew that Danny would have to fight him like crazy to make the redhead take a break once Mac got home. He would want to stay by Mac's side day and night. However, for his own sake he would have to take care of himself too. Even if it was just taking a nap or take a walk for thirty minutes to clear his head. The redhead would be too busy worrying and pampering Mac to realize that he would be doing too much.

"Do you know if they've caught the robbers?" Horatio asked, "I've been too busy keeping myself together to think about it."

"Yeah, they caught them an hour ago." Danny smiled, "The guy Mac tackled spit blood on the floor and he was in the system. Thanks to his DNA they could find out where he lived and there they found all the stolen money. When the bastard came home he was arrested and flipped on his partner in seconds."

Horatio just shook his head. He was glad that the robbers had been arrested.

"The asshole wasn't so tough when he was surrounded by cops." Danny said, "He was actually going to shot the mother and child. He said that he would do anything for peace and quiet while he was working, as he called it."

Both Danny and Horatio were disgusted by that. Shooting an innocent woman and a child just for peace and quiet. What an idiot. He deserved what was coming to him in jail.

"So when was the last time you ate?" Danny asked.

"I ate a hotdog a few hours ago."

"A hotdog?" Danny asked, "You like pizza, right?"

"Yeah. But Danny, I'm not-"

"Hungry. Yes, I know. Frank Tripp told me that you wouldn't want to eat." Danny smiled, "The problem is that I already called for a pizza delivery. It should actually be here any time now."

"You can do that at a hospital?"

"Yeah, if you flirt a little with the nurses." Danny smirked.

Horatio smiled. There was a knock on the door and Danny went to pay for the pizza. Horatio had to admit that once he caught the smell of the food he got really hungry. He ate as if he had never seen food before.

"I guess you weren't hungry, huh?" Danny teased.

Horatio just rolled his eyes and snatched a piece of Danny's pizza from him. Danny pretended to be shocked. Suddenly there was a cough and they both looked at Mac. The brunette stirred.

"Mac?" Horatio asked.

He grabbed his lover's hand and squeezed it gently; Mac squeezed back. After a few seconds Mac's eyes opened and Horatio grinned. He kissed the brunette's brow and ran his thumb over his cheek.

"Hi." Horatio smiled.

Danny pulled the oxygen mask away from Mac's mouth so he could speak.

"Hi there." Mac whispered, "That smells like pizza."

"It is pizza." Horatio said.

"Do you think the doctor would let me have some?" Mac grinned.

Horatio chuckled and gave his lover a kiss, while Danny pressed the nurse's button. A huge relief had been lifted of their shoulders now that Mac was awake.

_**Please review! And thanks for all the name suggestions so far!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you all for the reviews!**

Mac woke up to an empty bed. Well, not completely empty since Elvis was lying next to him. But even though Mac loved Elvis, he would have been a little happier seeing his lover in bed next to him when he woke up instead. He couldn't hear the shower running so his lover wasn't there and there were no sounds coming from the kitchen or… anywhere. The house was completely silent.

Mac sat up on the edge of the bed and winced as his shoulder throbbed where he had been shot. He had spent only two days in the hospital and had now been home for four days. His lover was pampering him and although Mac enjoyed to see Horatio in a full mother-hen mode and loved the fact that the redhead cared for him. It was also beginning to show how hard it was for the older man. They had talked about the shooting, but only about Mac's feelings. Horatio hadn't opened up about how he felt; instead he had managed to convince Mac that they only needed to focus on his feelings. Now Mac knew that it had been a mistake to do so.

Horatio probably had so many thoughts and feelings inside him that he didn't know how to get out. It was starting to show in the way that Horatio acted. He snapped more easily at both Mac and Danny, he looked dead on his feet and sometimes it seemed like he was about to burst into tears. Mac knew that his lover was trying to keep himself from falling apart because he felt that he needed to be there for him, but also because he didn't want to do it in front of Danny.

The young New Yorker was still in Miami helping out. Only Horatio didn't let him help with a lot of things and Danny had also noticed how Horatio was beginning to get stressed out. Danny was using in the guest bedroom and Mac knew that he was still asleep. Danny wasn't a quiet person in the morning and if he had been up, Mac would have heard it.

"Do you think it's time to have a serious talk with Horatio?" Mac asked the ginger cat.

Elvis purred and rubbed his head against the back of Mac's hand; he sat beside his master and meowed.

"I agree. I need to talk with him." Mac said, "You are such a smart cat."

Elvis meowed again as if he agreed with Mac that he was indeed a smart cat. When Mac got out of the bed and headed for the kitchen Elvis followed him. He rubbed against Mac's leg as he poured himself some coffee and when Mac searched through the house for his lost lover Elvis continued to follow him.

"Don't you have some hobby you can do instead of going after me?" Mac asked and looked down at the animal.

Elvis meowed again and looked up at Mac as if he begged him to pick him up. Then Elvis looked towards the back porch and Mac followed his gaze.

"You _are_ a smart cat." He grinned.

He finally figured out where his lover had gone; the beach. Sure enough, Mac found the redhead sitting on the beach and watching the ocean. It was so early in the morning that the sun had just risen. Mac sat down next to the older man.

"What are you doing up so early?" Horatio asked.

"I could ask you the same thing." Mac said.

"Good point. But I'm not the one injured and the one that needs to rest."

"Sure you do. You're pregnant." Mac said.

Horatio looked down at his pregnant belly. He and Mac both put a hand on it and felt their baby kick. It was an active little fellow in there for sure; keeping daddy Horatio up almost all the time. Horatio sighed and put his head on Mac's uninjured shoulder.

"I'm scared Mac." Horatio whispered after a moment of silence.

"Scared of what?" Mac asked.

He knew that Horatio had finally chosen to open up to him about what had happened six days ago.

"Scared of losing you, scared of losing our child and scared to lose what we have; our life together."

Mac grabbed Horatio's hand and squeezed it gently.

"I'm not going anywhere and neither is our baby." He said, "And what we have together will last forever."

"How can you know that?" Horatio asked quietly.

"I can't. But I can believe in it." Mac smiled.

Horatio lifted his head up and looked at his younger lover. The terror he had felt when he had heard that Mac had been shot was indescribable. He couldn't find the words to describe what it had felt like. How relieved, yet still scared, he had felt when he had seen his lover in the hospital bed. How much it hurt him to see Mac in pain every time his shoulder hurt.

"I came so close to losing you." Horatio said, "I don't ever want to feel that way again."

"You won't. I won't let it happen again." Mac said.

He pulled Horatio in for a soft kiss and felt tears run down his lover's cheeks. Horatio rarely cried, but after days of keeping his emotions in check he needed to let it go.

Horatio rested his head on Mac's good shoulder again and let his tears fall. Mac continued holding his hand and they sat there for a while; just enjoying the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.

"I will do everything I can to help you until you're better again." Horatio said.

"I like that. But Horatio listen… you, you have to let Danny help too." Mac said.

Horatio sat up more straight and looked at Mac. In Horatio's mind it was his job as the lover to help Mac. It was up to him to make sure Mac was well taken care of and he was going to continue making sure of that.

"But I'm helping you." He said.

"Yeah, but you need to rest too. You are certainly not in any condition to be working yourself half to death." Mac said and put a hand over Horatio's belly, "You have to think of the little one in here."

"I know." Horatio sighed.

The two men rested their foreheads against each other. The baby kicked and Mac smiled.

"Yes, we're talking about you." He said and bent down to give the belly a kiss.

"It's not that I don't trust Danny, because I do… but…"

"But you want to help all the time." Mac said, "I'm the same, right? Always worrying about you and definitely pampering you since you've become pregnant."

Horatio smiled and nodded.

"But you're worse than me. You don't rest, you barely eat and don't even get me started on the way it's affecting your mood." Mac said and Horatio chuckled, "I know that you have mood swings because of the pregnancy hormones, but you are barely able to keep yourself together anymore."

"Have I been really horrible?" Horatio asked with a small smile.

Mac chuckled and shook his head no. Sure, Horatio had probably shocked Danny with his sudden mood swings, but then again Danny understood why so he wasn't scared or angry when Horatio snapped at him. If anything, Danny wanted to help his redheaded friend.

"You need to take a break and let Danny handle things sometimes. He is also here to help; _both_ of us." Mac smiled.

"I will let him help from now on." Horatio smiled and gave Mac a kiss.

**-I-**

After a lot of persuasion Horatio had finally agreed to get out of the house and do something by himself. So while Horatio was away taking a break Danny helped out with the dishes and putting new bandages over Mac's wounds.

"I think Horatio is more stubborn than you." Danny grinned, "I've never seen anyone drive you so… frustrated when you know you're about to lose an argument."

Mac rolled his eyes. Horatio truly was the only man whom could stand against Mac's stubbornness.

"Yeah, well it goes the other way too." Mac said, "We're both just as stubborn."

"I'm guessing he wins most of the time though." Danny teased.

"Well, he does now. How can I say no to my pregnant lover?" Mac huffed playfully.

Danny grinned and put the new bandages over Mac's wounds. Mac winced and felt that it was time for a new pain-pill; it had been a few hours since he last took one. The pill made Mac drowsy and while he took a nap, Danny decided to do the older men's laundry and clean the kitchen. It wasn't messy but sometimes he got the need to clean. It was his little secret, because he knew that if the others found out they would tease him for wanting to clean by his own free will.

It was almost afternoon when the front door opened, Danny looked up from the book he was reading and went out in the hallway and he smirked when Horatio walked in with several shopping bags and a huge grin.

"I went shopping a little." He said timidly.

"A little?" Danny asked.

Horatio shrugged happily and Danny helped him take it all to the living room. He peeked inside the bags and saw that Horatio had bought new kitchen utensils, paternity clothes (which were just like maternity clothes but for men instead of women), baby clothes, baby toys and some movies for himself and Mac.

"Did you use up all your money?" Danny asked.

"Not _all_ of it." Horatio grinned innocently.

Danny laughed and then he and Horatio made some late lunch. Horatio wanted to show Mac everything he had bought when the other man woke up. Mac woke up just as the redhead and the young New Yorker had finished their lunch. He eyed all the shopping bags and then looked at his grinning lover.

"You got a shopping-frenzy didn't you?" He smiled.

"Maybe a little." Horatio shrugged and started rummaging through the bags.

Danny had to admit that Horatio had good taste in clothes and that some of the paternity clothes looked way cooler than his own.

"Why do you pregnant men get such cool clothes?" He asked.

"Because we are better than you others and therefore deserve better clothes." Horatio joked.

After the paternity clothes and the kitchen utensils it was time to look at all the things Horatio had bought for his and Mac's baby. There were both girl and boy clothes and toys in the bags.

"What do you do with all the boy stuff if the baby is a girl?" Danny asked.

"Keep them for the next baby or sell them." Mac said.

Horatio stopped dead in his tracks.

"Next baby?" He asked.

"Uh-oh." Danny grinned, "Run Mac."

"_Next_ baby?" Horatio asked again, "Can you wait a few years before you start going on about the next baby or at least until _this_ baby is _born_?"

Mac smiled and gave Horatio a kiss to apologize. Horatio smiled and went back to showing his lover and friend all the shopping items. When he was done he was already tired and slumped down on the couch. Danny sat in the recliner and Mac sat down next to his redheaded lover. He put his hand on the belly again and felt the baby kick.

"Can I feel?" Danny asked.

"Sure, come on." Horatio said and Danny got up from the recliner chair and sat down on the other side next to Horatio.

Danny had never felt a baby kick in the belly before and the feeling of it was actually quite cool.

"You're having an active little bundle of joy." He said and got back to the recliner chair.

"Oh, tell me about it." Horatio sighed.

Both Danny and Mac could see that the redhead was tired and ordered him off to bed. They knew that he was having trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep in and therefore didn't sleep very long or often. That's why they also felt that it was important for Horatio to rest and take naps; he needed his energy.

**-I-**

Later that night after some dinner and a lot of talking and just hanging out with each other and Ryan (whom had come by for a visit), Mac had been sent off to bed after looking like he was going to fall asleep as they all talked. An hour later, Ryan had gone home and Danny and Horatio had felt it was time to get some sleep too.

Horatio found his lover in bed, snuggling with his pillow and with Elvis sleeping behind his back. Horatio scratched Elvis's head and the cat grabbed his hand with his claws and started biting him (something the cat thought of as fun).

"Ouch! You little imp!" Horatio hissed and picked his cat up.

Elvis purred and Horatio kissed his head before putting him down on the floor. Elvis seemed to understand that this was his master's way of telling him to get out, but that didn't mean he had to like it. He glared at Horatio before he walked out of the room.

Horatio got undressed and lied down behind his lover, careful not to touch his injured shoulder. Mac yawned and shifted to the other side (as much as he could with his injured shoulder) so he was facing the redhead. He kissed him and pulled Horatio's head closer to deepen the kiss. Horatio felt his lover's erection press against his thigh and when they parted he looked down under the sheet; he felt a rush of arousal go through his body at the sight of his lover's erect manhood.

"Mac, are you sure?" Horatio asked and looked back at his lover.

"Please, I need to feel the release." Mac whispered.

Horatio smiled gave him a quick kiss before he wrapped his hand around Mac's throbbing length. Mac gasped and closed his eyes; he rested his forehead against Horatio's.

Horatio started stroking faster; wanting to bring his lover to climax because he knew that Mac needed it.

"Uh, H." Mac moaned softly.

Mac to bite his lower lip to keep from making too much sounds and let Danny know what was going on. Horatio tightened his grip around Mac's erection and smirked when he gasped. He started kissing Mac's neck and gently nip at his earlobe; sending shivers of pleasure through Mac's body.

"Horatio!" Mac gasped.

"Cum for me, love." Horatio whispered.

He slid down a little so he could envelope Mac's nipples with his mouth. Mac arched his hips and then rolled over to lie on his back. Horatio sat up next to him and continued teasing him. His tongue swept over his nipples and his hand stroked his hard member.

"Oh, god!" Mac gasped.

Horatio slid further down Mac's body and soon enveloped Mac's length with his mouth. Mac grabbed a fistful of Horatio's red hair and tried his best not to thrust into his lover's mouth. Horatio pinned Mac's hips to the bed when it was clear that the younger man was unable not to thrust. Horatio sucked on the head of Mac's member and let his teeth gently nip at the sensitive skin.

Mac's body tensed and he held his breath as he felt pleasure rush through his entire body. He moaned and came. His body stayed tense until he came down from cloud nine. He slumped down on the bed and pulled Horatio up for a kiss.

"Thank you, love." Mac smiled.

"Anytime." Horatio grinned and gave Mac one last kiss before they snuggled close and fell asleep.

_**Please review!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all **_**very much**_** for your reviews!**

Horatio yawned, but didn't open his eyes as he rolled over on his other side and snuggled as close to Mac as his 22-week pregnant belly would allow him. It was early Wednesday morning and he only had an hour left before he had to be at the lab. He felt Mac shift in bed and his arm drape over his shoulder. Horatio smiled when Mac kissed his cheek and opened his eyes to look at his lover.

Mac smiled sleepily at the redhead before giving him a kiss on the lips and put his hand over the belly. Mac absolutely adored Horatio's baby bump (as did many others). He would take basically any chance he had to touch it and feel their baby move. It sure was an active little one inside the redhead; keeping Horatio awake almost all the time. Although Horatio rarely complained; the only time he ever mentioned being tired of having such an active baby was when he was frustrated or cranky after a hard day at work.

"Good morning, love." Mac said.

"Good morning." Horatio yawned.

Mac felt his lover's forehead and frowned; he felt a bit warm to the younger man. He got out of bed and went to get the thermometer. Horatio hadn't moved an inch when he came back and didn't even say anything when Mac put the thermometer to his ear. Mac could tell that his lover was exhausted and not feeling well.

"You have a fever of 102." Mac said and lied down on his back next to his lover.

"I can't have a fever." Horatio said sleepily.

In all honesty, he knew he wasn't feeling well. He just felt so tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep all day. However, he hated being sick and therefore always claimed that he couldn't be sick. Horatio Caine just did not get sick.

"And why is that?" Mac asked amused, knowing full well that Horatio would now make up some excuse as to why he couldn't possibly have a fever.

"Because… uh, I'm a redhead." Horatio grinned and snuggled closer to Mac.

He buried his face in the younger man's neck and Mac smiled.

"Right. Redheads don't get fevers… right. I forgot about that." Mac smirked.

Horatio chuckled and started drifting off to sleep. Mac called Calleigh and told her that Horatio wouldn't be coming in today because of his fever. Then he called Alexx; he wasn't sure what a fever could do to a pregnant man, but he was pretty sure it was harmless, (Mac was a little more concerned about how it would affect Horatio's mood). Alexx confirmed to Mac that unless the older man's fever got higher there was no need to worry. She would fill out some prescriptions for Horatio that Calleigh could pick out and bring to them during lunch.

When Mac had talked to Alexx he hung up and put Horatio's phone on silent mode; he wanted as little things as possible to disturb his lover's sleep. He knew that their baby would keep him awake enough anyway. For now though, the little fellow was sleeping too.

Mac decided to get some more sleep too, but after an hour he was awake again and instead decided to get up and do something. Horatio was out like a light and looked adorable with his hair all tousled and sticking out in every direction possible. He grabbed onto Mac's pillow when the brunette left the bed, as if it would have to do while Mac wasn't there next to him.

Mac just couldn't help himself and went to get their camera; he snapped a picture of the sleeping man. Before he left he watched as Elvis jumped up on the bed and snuggled with his master; he knew he was sick and was trying to make him feel better. Mac then went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. It was raining outside and nobody was walking on the streets either. Everything was quiet.

**-I-**

Mac woke up to find his lover looking down at him. Apparently Mac had fallen asleep on the couch with the TV remote on his chest and Elvis in his lap (the cat had joined him at some point during his sleep). Horatio was standing next to him with an amused expression.

"I thought it was the sick people that slept all the time." Horatio smiled.

Mac chuckled and stood up. He gave Horatio a kiss, but frowned when Horatio gently pushed him away.

"You'll get sick too if you kiss me." He said.

"No, I won't."

"Really and why is that?"

Mac shrugged, "I just won't."

Horatio grinned and let Mac give him a kiss. Mac felt Horatio's forehead again; he was still a bit warm, but a fever didn't just disappear in a few hours so that was no surprise. He looked at the clock on the wall and realized it was almost lunch, which meant that Calleigh would be arriving soon.

"Calleigh called and said she was on her way. Maybe we should get dressed." Horatio said, as if he head read Mac's mind.

Mac looked down at what they were wearing; nothing. They were both naked, (they both slept naked and had forgotten to put on clothes; besides it was their home and they saw each other naked all the time).

"Yes, we wouldn't want her to see us like this." Mac said and followed his lover to the bedroom to get dressed.

Horatio was still tired, Mac could tell, and his back was clearly aching. Mac winced when he heard his lover groan as he bent down to pull his boxers and pants up. Mac gently rubbed the redhead's lower back and Horatio sighed.

"I hate being sick." He muttered.

"Why? You get to stay home with me." Mac grinned.

"Yeah, but I'm sick. There is nothing we can do when I'm sick."

"Cuddle?"

"Alright, fine. We can cuddle." Horatio smiled.

The doorbell rang and both men went to open it. Calleigh greeted them with a smile and quickly stepped inside to avoid becoming drenched in the rain.

"Hi guys." She grinned and hugged them both, "Oh, he or she is awake." She said when she felt the baby kick her as she hugged Horatio.

She put a hand on the belly and felt the little one move; clearly the baby enjoyed kicking. Horatio smiled and Calleigh handed him a small bag of medicine. She then felt his forehead and went in search of the thermometer. Horatio and Mac watched her walk around and in just a few seconds Calleigh was back with them in the hallway with the thermometer in hand. She placed it against Horatio's ear and the redhead sighed.

"You're taking lessons from Alexx on how to be a mother hen aren't you?" He asked.

"Yes." Calleigh grinned, "Every Friday around seven. The whole team is at her house for lessons. Even Mac sometimes."

They all chuckled and Calleigh checked the thermometer when it beeped.

"101, 7." She smiled, "Better."

"So what is going on at work? What have I missed?" Horatio asked.

Calleigh rolled her eyes, (typical Horatio to change the subject to work even when he was sick and should just be relaxing), and the three of them went into the kitchen. Mac called for pizza delivery while Calleigh filled Horatio in on what he had missed so far; which wasn't much.

"We have an attempted murder." Calleigh said, "Although it seems like it's a fake."

"Why?" Horatio asked.

They all sat by the kitchen table and when Mac had ended the call to the pizza delivery, he joined the other two.

"Well, because the victim doesn't seem worried at all. She called the cops herself; she keeps on asking if we can't just drop the charges." Calleigh said.

"She's not scared?" Mac asked.

"No, that's the weird thing. She's too relaxed after almost being shot in broad day light and we can't en find a bullet or a shell casing." Calleigh said, "We think she might have faked the attempted murder with a friend to get a new thrill. Apparently teenagers now a days do that so they can rescue or protect each other and then have sex."

"Why go through all that trouble just to have sex?" Horatio asked.

Calleigh shrugged.

"I can see why that would be fun." Mac said.

Horatio and Calleigh looked at him surprised and Mac blushed.

"Well, um… you know, if you save someone you love then you might want to have a little rescue-sex." Mac explained, "Even if it's just a pretend rescue."

"Well, we had a similar case once were a couple did that. The girl got kidnapped and the boyfriend was going to save her; only he ended up killing her later." Horatio said.

"Well, this is attempted murder instead. Apparently there are some kids who have done this in other states and after the so-called attempted murder the victim gets stalked and their partner ends up protecting them." Calleigh said, "Apparently it's a game that takes almost a week and during that week the couple is supposed to get aroused by it and have sex; because it's so arousing to be the victim and have a strong, tough partner trying to protect you."

"That's not even fun if it isn't for real." Horatio muttered.

Now it was his turn to have two pair of eyes look at him in surprise.

"If you know it's only pretend, then what's so fun about it?" Horatio asked, "I mean, you know it's only a game and not real."

"Some people find it arousing." Calleigh shrugged, "I seriously doubt they would if it was serious. I think that's why they can relax enough to find it fun and arousing, because they know that it's just a game."

"Kids these days." Horatio sighed, "Our child isn't dating until he or she is thirty."

"Twenty five." Mac said.

"Thirty."

"Twenty five."

"Guys?"

"Yeah." They said and looked at Calleigh.

She hugged them both and they looked confused at her.

"You two are just too adorable when you're like that." She giggled.

The doorbell rang and Mac went to open the door. It was the pizza guy. Soon the two men and the blonde woman were sitting at the kitchen table eating pizza and enjoying each other's company. It wasn't long before Mac and Calleigh noticed how tired Horatio looked. When he started yawning and rubbing his eyes, he was sent off to bed (after Mac had promised to buy lots of pineapples which was Horatio's craving).

"Have you guys talked about getting married?" Calleigh asked when Horatio had gone to bed.

Mac choked on his water and Calleigh giggled.

"Um, no."

"Well, I was just wondering since it's legal in New York now and you're having a baby." Calleigh grinned, "Besides, I would _love_ to attend a gay wedding. The thought of you two getting married is so adorable and amazing and-"

"Calleigh?"

"Yes?"

"You're really cute when you're rambling." Mac grinned.

Calleigh laughed and took another slice of her pizza.

"We haven't talked about it. But I'm pretty sure we will after the baby is born." Mac said, "Right now, we're just focusing on that."

"Yeah, Horatio's belly is really starting to get big." Calleigh smiled, "He's just so cute when he's pregnant."

"I agree." Mac grinned.

He loved the sight of his lover with a baby bump and thought the redhead was absolutely beautiful. When the two friends had finished their lunch it was time for Calleigh to get back to work. She hugged Mac goodbye and left. Mac went to check on his sleeping lover and then decided to read a book. On a rainy day there was nothing better to do than to sit down and just read a good book.

**-I-**

While Horatio devoured the pineapples his younger lover had bought for him, Mac was talking on the phone with Sinclair (whom had suddenly called him). Horatio could hear Mac talking in the living room, but not hear what was being said. Besides, he was too busy with the pineapples to care. Too say that he was hungry was an understatement; he felt like he could eat an elephant and already had dinner cooking on the stove. The pineapples were just to please his craving and keep him in a good mood until dinner was ready.

The baby kicked and kicked and Horatio gently rubbed the belly; feeling the baby move underneath his hand. Horatio was feeling a bit better and his fever was almost gone now. He knew Mac would make him stay home for another day just to be sure, but he could live with that. Horatio looked up when he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen and frowned when he saw Mac's stunned expression.

"Something wrong?" Horatio asked.

"Well, a part from Sinclair asking how we are doing and how I like it in Miami..." Mac said and paused for a second, "He offered me my job back."

There was a moment of silence as both men thought about the offer. Sinclair must really like Mac to make such an offer. For a second Horatio got worried and wondered if Mac was thinking about going back to New York. If he knew his lover well enough then he already knew that Mac wouldn't take the offer, but what if…

"And um, what did you tell him?" Horatio asked nervously.

Mac saw the concern in his lover's eyes and knelt in front of him. He grabbed Horatio's hands and looked into his blue eyes.

"I told him no of course." Mac grinned.

Horatio sighed in relief and Mac hugged the older man.

"I'm never leaving you. I'm happy here." Mac smiled.

"You don't miss your job?"

"No. I miss the people I worked with; my friends. But not my job." Mac smiled, "I can't go back now and besdies, I like being retired."

Horatio grinned and kissed Mac on the lips. The kiss started getting heated just as the timer went off and interrupted them; dinner was ready.

"Ah, finally some food!" Horatio exclaimed and practically ran over to the stove.

Mac grinned; while being pregnant the only thing more important than a kiss was food. Mac knew that after dinner he and Horatio could go back to their kissing.

**-I-**

"Didn't I tell you not to kiss me?" Horatio asked as he sat up in bed next to his lover.

It was the morning after and Mac had a fever while Horatio was now feeling perfectly fine again. Mac shivered and hid under the covers. Horatio grinned and lied down; he too crawled under the covers and snuggled close to the younger man.

"Didn't I tell you that?" He asked again.

"Oh, shut up." Mac groaned, "This is all your fault."

Horatio laughed and embraced his lover; giving him some body heat.

"One thing is for sure though; I'm not kissing you today. I don't need to get sick again." Horatio said.

Mac smirked and leaned towards his lover. Horatio tried to push him away, but even when he was sick Mac was slightly stronger than him. They struggled for a while, until Mac had Horatio pinned to the bed and leaned down for a kiss. Horatio tried to turn his head away, but eventually Mac got his kiss.

_**Please review!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Thank You **_**all for your reviews!**

Mac had been sick with the flu the whole weekend because he had gotten the bug from his lover. He was feeling better now but not one hundred percent. However, he didn't need to feel one hundred percent to do what he was going to do to his older lover. With a wicked smile he took out the handcuffs from the nightstand drawer. The redhead was still asleep and before Mac did anything to him, he put his hand over the belly and felt their baby's movement.

Horatio was 23 weeks pregnant now and his belly was slightly bigger than what people had expected. Horatio's Doctor Melinda Carter had said that their baby was lying forward and therefore pushing the belly out so it grew bigger. If there were two babies in there then one of them was very good at hiding. Neither Mac nor Horatio thought it was two babies in there. But Don, Sheldon and Ryan seemed pretty sure that there was one hiding behind the other baby.

Horatio stirred and mumbled something incoherent. Mac smirked and grabbed his lover's arms. He handcuffed his wrists to the headboard and then straddled him. Horatio woke up when Mac kissed him on the lips softly. He opened his eyes and tried to move his arms only to find out that he was cuffed. Mac grinned at him.

"Well, this is one way to wake me up." Horatio said.

"You will be very awake when I'm through with you." Mac grinned.

He slid lower down his lover's body and started stroking his growing erection. Horatio gasped and arched his back. Mac smirked and enveloped the head of the redhead's length with his mouth. Horatio cried out and started thrusting into Mac's mouth, but then Mac pinned him down to the bed.

"Uh, Mac."

Mac felt Horatio's throbbing manhood grow thicker and bigger in his mouth and he let his teeth grace against the sensitive skin. Horatio moaned and tried to thrust, but Mac's strong hands on his hips wouldn't let him. Mac took his lover's whole length into his mouth and groaned sending pleasure through the older man's body with the vibrations of his voice. Horatio closed his eyes and grabbed onto the headboard so hard his knuckles turned white.

"Mac!"

Mac tasted the redhead's pre-cum before letting his pulsating erection slip from his mouth. Horatio opened his eyes and looked down as the younger man straddled his thighs. Mac reached under the sheets to find the lube he had hidden there.

"You prepared for this." Horatio panted.

"Of course." Mac grinned proudly.

Mac stroked his own erection before pressing a lubed digit inside the older man. Horatio gasped and pushed back against Mac's digit. Mac groaned and stroked himself faster; he knew it turned the redhead on to watch him pleasure himself. Horatio eyed Mac's hand on his length and licked his lips.

Mac stopped stroking himself and slid down between Horatio's knees. He added a second digit inside the older man and started sucking on the head of his manhood again.

"Oh god, Mac!"

Horatio writhed on the bed in pleasure and couldn't decide whether to thrust into Mac's mouth or push back against his fingers.

"Ah, love!"

Mac hummed and moaned at the feeling of Horatio's thick length against his tongue. He used his free hand to fondle the older man's balls and by the sounds his lover was making Mac knew he was close to climax.

"Jesus!"

Horatio squirmed and felt his climax come closer. He knew he wouldn't last if Mac didn't pause soon. Mac knew it too and just before as he added a third digit he stopped. Horatio panted and looked down at his younger lover.

Mac waited for a few seconds before continuing to stretch his lover. Horatio moaned and pushed back against him.

"So impatient." Mac teased.

"You're such an imp." Horatio groaned.

Mac felt his own need to climax grow stronger and he lubed up his aching erection and positioned himself. He thrusted inside slowly and carefully after pulling his digits out. Horatio gasped and wrapped his legs around Mac's waist.

The younger man moaned at the sensation of being enveloped by the older man and waited for a moment to let Horatio adjust to him before he started thrusting.

"Uh Horatio!"

Mac thrusted slow to let the pleasure build. Horatio was writhing on the bed and Mac's nails dug into his lover's hips as he thrusted into him. With every thrust Mac nudged Horatio's prostate and sent pleasure running through the redhead's body.

"Mac, uh god!"

"Ah, H!"

Mac closed his eyes and started thrusting faster and harder; while still being careful not to hurt his lover. Horatio arched his back and cried out with Mac's every thrust. He could feel how close he was and knew from the way Mac's grip on his hips tightened, that the younger man was as well.

"Horatio, oh!"

Mac could feel his body tense and knew it would soon be over. However, he had other plans. Just as he felt himself get to the edge he pulled out and climbed out of the bed. Horatio panted and watched as Mac disappeared into the bathroom and turned the shower on.

"Mac?" He called out.

"Yes?"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Horatio asked.

"Taking a shower." Mac smirked.

"What?" Horatio exclaimed.

He was still handcuffed to the headboard and still aroused. His erection was throbbing and he knew he would kill his lover if he didn't come back soon.

"I'm taking a shower." Mac repeated.

"Oh come on! You can't leave me like _this_."

Mac poked his head out of the bathroom and grinned. Horatio glared at him. Mac walked back to the bed and kissed the redhead before removing the cuffs.

"Come and join me then." Mac winked.

Horatio didn't need to think twice about it and soon the two lovers were involved in some very steamy shower-sex.

**-I-**

Mac was worried. His lover had been forced to go to court to testify in a case from several months ago and Mac didn't like it. Everyone knew that the defendant's wife Missus Lacey Reardon hated the team for arresting her husband for murder. It didn't matter to hear that the case was airtight with all the evidence pointing at her husband and that her husband had even confessed; she still hated the team.

According to her the murder had been justified. Her husband, Mister Fred Reardon, had murdered their maid in an act of rage when she had refused to have sex with him. Fred Reardon was used to getting what he wanted and not be turned down. According to Lacey Reardon it was okay to murder a maid when she denied her husband the right he had as a man and as her boss.

Mac wouldn't normally have been worried, but his lover was visibly pregnant and if Mrs. Reardon wanted revenge then who better than to take it out on the leader of the team whom also happened to be pregnant?

While on the phone with Stella, Mac told her about his worries.

"If she is stupid enough to threat Horatio then you guys can get protection. I'm sure he's safe enough with you and the team around so she probably won't be able to get near him." Stella said, of course she didn't have to mention the many ways a person to could get revenge if they truly wanted to.

Even with cops surrounding Horatio, a simple sniper bullet would be enough. Stella shuddered at the mere thought of Mrs. Reardon wanting to hurt the redhead.

"Mac, you can't think like this." She said.

"I know." Mac sighed.

"Mrs. Reardon might just be full of BS." Stella said, "You can't be sure that she would actually do something and if she did, she might as well just go after anybody else on the team."

"But being the leader puts H at the highest risk." Mac said.

"I know, but… listen Mac, don't worry so much, okay?"

"I can try." Mac sighed.

"That's all I ask." Stella smiled, "Now tell me how everything is going down in Miami."

After talking to Stella on the phone for more than an hour Mac felt more at ease. She had told him before hanging up that Horatio would always be at risk of getting hurt in his line of work; Mac knew about those risks more than anyone.

There were some people who had said that Horatio should retire now that he was having a child with Mac, but somebody needed to provide for the family. Mac got money too from being retired and Horatio would get just as much if he also retired, but why should Horatio quit just because he was pregnant? Other cops had also been pregnant and started families without having to retire or get another, safer, job. However, in a situation where it was a possibility to have a vengeful wife going after you, being pregnant was not good. Mac knew how dangerous it could be.

Frank Tripp always said something wise in situations like that though; "_Simply waking up in the morning can kill you; you might slip in the shower and break your neck, but that doesn't mean you don't wake up every morning._"

Mac tried to think like Frank as he waited for his lover to come home from court. Just because Horatio's job was risky didn't mean he should quit doing it or stop because he was pregnant.

**-I-**

Court was finally over and the jury hadn't even needed much time to deliberate. Mister Fred Reardon had been sentenced to life in prison without the chance of parole. Horatio stood outside the courthouse with Calleigh; they were waiting for Ryan while he was in the men's room. After that they'd probably have a quick lunch and part ways to go home.

"Lieutenant Caine."

Horatio turned around at looked at Mrs. Lacey Reardon. The glare in her eyes told Horatio exactly what she felt at the moment; hatred. She eyed his baby bump and then looked between him and Calleigh, before finally looking into Horatio's eyes again.

"What can I do for you Mrs. Reardon?" Horatio asked.

"You put my husband away for life."

"He put himself away. He shouldn't have committed murder." Calleigh said.

"I wasn't talking you Blondie." Mrs. Reardon snapped, but never took her eyes away from Horatio, "Your days are numbered Lieutenant Caine."

"Is that a threat?" Horatio asked, "You should leave before I have to ask Detective Duquesne here to arrest you."

Mrs. Reardon gave Horatio a creepy smile before she turned around and started walking away.

"You won't live long enough to see your child be brought into this world." Mrs. Reardon called out before she disappeared in the crowd.

Calleigh started walking after her, but there was no use. Missus Reardon had disappeared. Calleigh walked back to Horatio and Ryan; who had now joined them. Horatio told Ryan about Mrs. Reardon's threat.

"You should get police protection, H." Ryan said.

"I know." Horatio sighed.

Horatio looked at the direction Mrs. Reardon had gone. He knew Mac would freak out and not leave his side. And if he knew his team right; they wouldn't leave his side for a second either. Most of the times threats like the ones Mrs. Reardon had given were nothing but empty words; but this one felt different.

If Mrs. Reardon was as mad as her husband then she would make sure she did everything she could to fulfill her threat. Horatio rubbed his belly and sent a silent prayer to the higher powers to make sure nothing happened to his and Mac's child.

**-I-**

"I knew it! I should have trusted my gut feeling." Mac said as he paced in the living room.

Horatio was sitting on the couch and watched his lover walk back and forth in front of him. He was rubbing his belly with the very active little on inside and tried not to tell Mac that he desperately needed a foot massage for his aching ankles and feet. Mac was too worried about Mrs. Reardon at the moment and Horatio was as well; only he was way too tired to think too much about it now.

"I should have gone with you." Mac sighed and started looking out the windows in the living room as if he expected Mrs. Reardon to stand on the beach outside.

"Mac." Horatio said.

"I should have gone with you and followed her and then had her arrested." Mac said.

"What good would it do? She'd just post bail and be out in an hour anyway." Horatio sighed tiredly and let his head fall back against the back of the couch.

Mac sighed and sat down next to his lover. He put a hand on the belly and used his other hand to run his fingers through Horatio's soft red hair.

"We have two officers outside in a car." Horatio said, "They'll follow me wherever I go."

"I know that… but, Horatio love, if she really wants to kill you then those officers won't be able to stop her. There are so many ways she can do it."

Horatio looked at Mac with a glare.

"Thank for pointing that out for me." He said

Mac gave him a small smile and kissed his cheek.

"Sorry." He said.

"You're forgiven."

"I bought you pineapples by the way." Mac smiled.

"Thanks, but what I really need right now is a foot massage." Horatio grinned innocently.

Mac smiled and then got a worried look in his eyes. Horatio knew what it was about.

"I'm taking her threat very seriously, but I'm not about to let Mrs. Reardon ruin my mood." Horatio said, "We're expecting a baby and should be thrilled right now. I'm not going to let her take that away from us."

Mac nodded and kissed Horatio one last time before guiding him to lie down so his feet where in Mac's lap. Mac started massaging his lover feet and ankles; Horatio closed his eyes and just enjoyed it.

"I'm going to sleep with your backup gun under my pillow anyway." Mac said, "Just to have a feeling of safety."

"Just try not to shoot anything in your sleep." Horatio said.

"I would never do that."

"There is a first time for everything." Horatio pointed out.

Mac just stuck his tongue out at his lover.

_**Please review!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Thanks **_**very much**_** for all the reviews!**

Elvis opened his eyes and yawned. He looked around the empty bed which he usually shared with his two masters. Now they were nowhere in sight. He stood up and stretched his body before jumping off the bed and heading to the doorway. He peeked outside in to the living room and saw the usual stuff, but no masters. Sounds from the kitchen caused the ginger cat to head that way and he stopped in the doorway.

His two masters were involved in something on the kitchen counter. His redheaded master was lying on the counter and his brunette master was kissing his body. Both were naked. Elvis decided that now was the perfect time to demand breakfast. He approached the two men and meowed. Neither of them reacted and when meowing again didn't work Elvis moved on to another technique.

He walked up to his brunette's masters ankle and started to scratch him with his claws; not enough to pull blood but enough to make his presence known.

"Ouch! God dammit Elvis!" Mac growled and looked down at the cat.

Mac glanced back at his naked lover on the kitchen counter, with his achingly hard length that Mac had been stroking for the last ten minutes while nipping at Horatio's chest.

"Ignore him." Horatio panted, "Please love."

Mac nodded and grabbed the lube from the counter next to the redhead. Unfortunately Elvis wasn't going to let himself be ignored. He looked up at his masters before nipping at the brunette's ankle.

"Elvis!" Mac exclaimed.

He bent down and picked the cat up. He grabbed his food bowl and put it on the table before giving Elvis some food so he would leave them alone. He quickly went back to the kitchen counter and lubed up his digits.

Elvis looked at the food and then back at his masters. He really wanted to cuddle now. So he jumped off the table and went back to the brunette. He rubbed up against his leg and was annoyed when he was gently pushed away.

"Mac, please love." Horatio panted as Mac pushed a digit inside him.

Elvis sat up on his back legs and reached up to the brunette's knee, then he slid his paws down to make sure he scratched his whole leg; just hard enough to let the brunette know he demanded a cuddle.

"Ouch!" Mac growled.

He added a second digit inside his lover and gently pushed Elvis away with his foot. Elvis glared at him, but wasn't about to give up. Instead Elvis used a technique he knew would work. He jumped at the brunette's other leg and held on for dear life; pushing his claws into the human's skin to hold on.

"Argh! Elvis!" Mac bellowed.

He started shaking his leg to get Elvis to fall off, but the cat wouldn't let go. Horatio was just about to suggest simply grabbing the cat and locking him into the bedroom so he couldn't bother them when his phone rang.

He groaned and tried to get his breathing under control before answering.

"Caine."

"Hey H, we have a dead body at a hotel." Eric said and gave him the address.

"I'll be there soon." Horatio said and hung up.

By now Mac was furiously trying to pull Elvis off his leg with his hands. Horatio looked down at his arousal and sighed; they'd have to make love later.

Once Elvis had fled the room and Mac had stopped cursing he looked over at his redheaded lover and sighed. Horatio was already putting on the suit that Mac had taken off him when they had decided to have morning sex in the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, Mac." He said.

"Don't be. We'll just do it later." Mac smiled.

Before Horatio could leave for work Mac gave both him and his 25 week pregnant belly a kiss.

Horatio wasn't really supposed to work on crime scenes (since he was on desk duty while being pregnant), but since both Calleigh and Ryan were at home with the flue he had to.

**-I-**

"Eric, I'm pregnant, not handicapped!" Horatio snapped and grabbed the evidence box from the younger man.

Eric tried not to grin and just let Horatio do what he wanted. He should have known it was a bad idea to suggest to the redhead that he'd take a break while Eric carried all the evidence boxes on his own up to the lab.

"Sorry H." Eric chuckled.

Horatio shook his head and opened his mouth to say something when Eric held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't say that you're sorry for snapping at me. I know you're not handicapped and I shouldn't treat you like it just because you're pregnant… even if you are getting more and more pegnant every week and I don't want you to get hurt." Eric said.

Horatio smiled and nodded. When they had taken all the evidence to the lab Horatio felt exhausted and went to his office to take an early lunch break. Mac had made him some lunch and Horatio devoured it in seconds. Then he leaned back in his chair and put his feet on the table so relax. Within seconds he had fallen asleep (something that happened sometimes since the baby didn't let his daddy sleep during the night).

And just as quickly he woke up when someone called his name. He opened his eyes and found Eric looking amused at him. Horatio took his feet of the table and sat up straight.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing." Eric grinned, "I got you your mail."

Horatio frowned and Eric explained that the receptionist Paula had been trying to call Horatio over the intercom for a few minutes to say he had mail, but when the sleeping redhead hadn't answered Eric had offered to take it to him.

"I must be really tired." Horatio muttered.

"Baby isn't letting you sleep, huh?" Eric asked as he handed his boss his mail and sat down in the guest chair.

"Nope, and it's all Mac's fault."

"You blame the baby's activity on Mac?" Eric chuckled.

"Yeah, it's who he or she inherited it from." Horatio shrugged.

"You're both very active men." Eric pointed out.

Horatio thought about it for a second and then shrugged, "It's still Mac's fault."

Eric chuckled and noticed Horatio's eyes widen as he read one of the letters in his mail; the one that had been the first one in the pile.

"H?" Eric asked.

"You remember Missus Lacey Reardon?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, Calleigh said she threatened you outside of court two weeks ago." Eric said, getting worried now.

"She just threatened me again." Horatio said and handed Eric the letter.

Eric grabbed the letter carefully by a corner to not leave any of his own prints in case it needed to be processed.

There wasn't much written on it, but enough for everyone to get the point:

_You are a dead man Lieutenant._

_Your days are numbered_

_MLR_

"MLR definitely stands for Missus Lacey Reardon." Eric said, "She's not trying to hide her identity."

"She's got nothing left to lose. Her husband is in jail and she's left alone." Horatio sighed.

"You have to report this and call Mac."

"He'll worry too much."

"Well, he should and so should you."

"I am worried!" Horatio growled and then gave Eric an apologetic look.

He started pacing around in the office while Eric put the letter in an evidence bag.

"H?" Eric asked, "Are you going to call Mac?"

"Why would she hate me? I mean, her husband is a killer." Horatio said, "I only did my job. We all did."

Eric was getting even more worried and grabbed Horatio's arms before guiding him down on the couch. He knew Horatio was worried. Not for his own safety, but for the safety of his and Mac's unborn child and that Mrs. Reardon would cause harm to Mac to get to Horatio. Her threat was directed to Horatio, but she could still go after Mac.

"Horatio?" Eric said, "Try to calm down and call Mac."

Horatio nodded and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket.

"I'll call Frank and have him put out a BOLO for Mrs. Reardon and when Mac gets here I'll process the letter."

"Okay." Horatio said quietly.

Eric noticed the sad look in his eyes. Horatio deserved better. He had finally found his true love and they were going to have a baby; this was supposed to be the happiest time of their life and now they had a death threat hanging over them.

**-I-**

Eric looked over at Mac and Horatio as they embraced each other. They were with him in the fingerprint lab as Eric processed the letter. He knew Mac would be able to calm Horatio down a bit, even if Mac himself was worried as well. Eric was checking some prints from the letter in AFIS and when the computer beeped Mac and Horatio approached him and looked at the screen.

"She wants us to know it's her." Eric sighed.

The fingerprints on the letter belonged to Mrs. Lacey Reardon, she had been arrested ten years earlier on a DUI and therefore her prints were in the system.

"Why do I always get the psychos after me?" Horatio asked and started pacing.

Mac and Eric glanced at each other and then Mac tried to get his lover to stop pacing and rambling about how it was so typical that everything was taken from him.

"Horatio, nothing has been taken yet." Mac said, "And nothing will be taken either."

Frank had been listening from the doorway and approached his friends. He knew this was what happened when Horatio got worried about losing someone. He had thought so many times that he had found someone to be happy with and then it had been taken from him.

"Horatio, nothing is going to happen to you or Mac." Frank said.

"This woman is capable of anything." Horatio said.

"But we won't let anything happen to you, the baby or Mac." Frank said, "I already have police protection waiting for you guys at home."

"Thanks Frank." Mac said and grabbed his lover by the shoulders.

Horatio slumped his shoulders and hung his head; fearing that everything was going to come to an end.

"Maybe we should stay somewhere else." Mac said.

"Yeah, you can stay with me and Calleigh." Eric said, "With Calleigh's gun collection hidden in the closet it's safe. Not to mention nobody shoots a gun better than her."

Mac smiled and nodded.

"I think that's a good idea." He said.

"We should go home and pack some stuff." Horatio said, "Are you sure it's okay? ´Cause I'll be walking around in the middle of the night if I can't sleep and I have terrible mood swings."

"I know you do." Eric smiled, "I think we would all feel a lot better if you stayed with me and Calleigh."

Mac and Horatio smiled gratefully at their young friend.

"And the walls in the guest room are thick so don't worry about making too much noise." Eric smirked.

The older men blushed and muttered something about having to hurry home to pack some stuff.

**-I-**

The police cruiser that was supposed to watch Mac and Horatio's house would remain there even if Mac and Horatio wasn't going to stay there. Their hope was that Mrs. Reardon would believe they were still in their own house if the cruiser was outside. Hopefully she would try to break in and get caught while doing so.

Horatio and Mac had rented a car and hoped that Mrs. Reardon hadn't been following them all day and seen it. They hoped that she knew what their private cars looked like and what their license plates were and therefore would be focused on following those cars; while doing so she wouldn't notice that Mac and Horatio had rented a car.

"So do you feel calmer now?" Mac asked as he drove the rental car to Eric and Calleigh's place.

"Yeah, I'm sorry that I freaked out."

"Don't be sorry." Mac said, "I kind of freaked out too, but I didn't show it because I was more concerned about you."

Horatio smiled and leaned back in the seat. He was tired and closed his eyes for a moment. Mac smiled and glanced at his sleeping lover for a second before looking back on the road.

It was already dark and raining too. Mac hated to drive when it was raining.

From behind a corner another car was watching the rental car approach. Missus Reardon had followed Mac and Horatio around all day and seen that they had rented a car. Her original plan had been to break into their house and stab Horatio in the abdomen; killing both the unborn child and the lieutenant. But then she had seen the police cruiser and so her plan had failed (she was too afraid to try and break in with the police outside the house).  
>Instead she had followed Horatio and Mac from work and hoped she would be able to crash into them; the only problem was that it had been in broad daylight and somebody would have seen her.<p>

Now it was dark outside and the neighborhood they were in was a quiet one. Her plan was perfect. She started the car but the kept the lights out so she couldn't be seen. Mac and Horatio came closer and Lacey tried the gas. She backed up the car and started driving fast; she knew she would hit them precisely where she wanted to.

The only problem was that she couldn't see who was driving; she hoped it was Horatio so that she crashed into the right side and killed him. As she got closer to the intersection she saw the other car approach. She stepped on the gas harder and prepared herself for the crash. She closed her eyes and let go of the steering wheel and just let the car go.

The crash was loud and both cars skidded several feet. The rental spun around and finally stopped. Mrs. Reardon groaned and pushed the airbag away from her. Crashing a car had been a lot worse for her physically than she had thought.

She started the car and to her surprise it still worked. However, driving it away was anything but easy. Luckily she didn't live too far away. Driving as fast as she could and hoping no one would see her, she fled the scene.

Leaving behind a crashed car with two grown men and an unborn child, both men were injured and unconscious.

_**Please review!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks **_**very much**_** for the reviews! **

His head was pounding. His ribs hurt and on ofe his leg felt like it had been run over by a truck. He could move his toes, at least he thought he felt that he could do it, but it hurt more than he would ever admit to do it. His muscles ached and his whole mind was screaming at him to wake up; open the eyes! He needed to move and get out the bed he was lying in. He could feel the soft fabric of the sheets and the pillow. He could feel the oxygen mask over his face and hear the beeping of a heart monitor.

He remembered crash!

Someone, most likely Missus Reardon, had crashed into his and his lover's rental car! He hoped his lover was alright. He had to open his eyes and find out. He had to speak to someone on the team. Someone had to tell him what was going on! Someone had to tell him something; anything!

His fingers twitched and he grabbed onto the sheets as hard as he could. He started growing worried, angry and scared. His eye lids felt like they weighed a ton and he couldn't open them. He tried to speak but nothing would come out and he couldn't lift his arms. What was happening? He had to make sure his lover was safe.

Wait… someone was speaking to him. He heard a voice; a male voice. He recognized that voice. Sheldon!

"Mac, calm down. Here, squeeze my hand and try to open your eyes." Sheldon said and grabbed onto Mac's hand.

Mac moaned and rolled his head to the side that Sheldon's voice was coming from. It felt like an eternity but finally Mac opened his eyes and saw a blurry figure standing next to his bed.

"Mac, finally!" Sheldon said with great relief, "We've been waiting for you to wake up for hours."

Mac blinked the blurriness away and focused on Sheldon. He looked around the room and saw that he was the only patient in it. Sheldon took the oxygen mask away and let him take a sip of water; it helped Mac a great deal as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Where is Horatio?" He asked, "Where is he? And where the hell is Mrs. Reardon?"

Sheldon sighed and sat down on the chair next to the bed. He had only been in Miami for three hours; after Eric had called him and told him that Mac and Horatio had been in a car crash. The Miami team was still processing the car and there was a BOLO for Mrs. Lacey Reardon. But so far there was no sign of her. She had to be feeling the effects of the crash too. She could be seriously injured. Sheldon didn't care about that right now though.

"Sheldon? Tell me the truth." Mac pleaded, suddenly fearing for both Horatio and their baby's life.

The car had crashed into his side of the car so Horatio hadn't taken he biggest hit. Hopefully he was okay. Maybe he had just been sent home to rest? Maybe he was in a room down the hall?

"He's alive." Sheldon said and saw the relief in Mac's eyes, "And the baby is doing fine."

"And Horatio?"

"He's in worse shape. He still hasn't woken up." Sheldon sighed, "He has a severe concussion, a broken rib and a dislocated shoulder."

"Can I see him?" Mac asked.

"Not yet. The doctor hasn't allowed any visitors for him."

"Why?"

"Stress. They're worried about that the accident will have caused delayed stress to the baby and they don't want to overcrowd Horatio or the child."

"But you said the baby was fine." Mac said, trying to ignore his headache and his aching body.

"Yeah, but his doctor is being very cautious." Sheldon said and noticed Mac wincing, "You want pain killers?"

"No!" Mac exclaimed angrily, "I want to see Horatio and I want Mrs. Reardon behind bars. She must have been the one that crashed into our car."

"Yeah, we think she is. No doubt about it."

"But?"

"But we can't find her. She's gone." Sheldon said.

Mac felt his blood boil. He was grateful that he had been the one to drive the rental car and not Horatio. They hadn't thought that she had noticed them renting a car. They had underestimated her a great deal and now they were paying for it.

"You have two broken ribs, a concussion, massive bruising and cuts on your left leg, as well as cuts from broken car glass over the rest of the body as well. Nothing fatal though and nothing that will cause permanent damage as far as the doctor can tell." Sheldon said.

Mac looked up at the ceiling. He had to see Horatio. He knew his lover would recover much quicker if he was allowed to see him. He just knew. Mac was the same way; he would feel a lot better and recover quicker if he could just be with the redhead.

"I have to see Horatio." Mac said.

"I'll talk to his doctor."

"I don't care what he or she says, I want to see him." Mac growled.

Sheldon nodded, "I'll be right back."

He left the room to go talk to Horatio's doctor. Mac ignored the pain he felt and focused on remembering the crash in as many details as he could. He hadn't seen any headlights from Mrs. Reardon's car so she had to have turned them off. She had probably waited for them in the intersection or else Mac would have most likely noticed her.

Or had he missed her? Had he missed the headlights? Had he contributed to the accident, or rather attempted murder, by not seeing her headlights and therefore not being able to stop the car before she could crash into it? Had he made a mistake and contributed to Horatio's injuries?

"Mac, you can see him." Sheldon smiled as he peeked into the room.

Mac sighed in relief.

**-I-**

Her body was aching from the crash, but that was not why Mrs. Reardon was angry. She had seen on the news that Horatio Caine and Mac Taylor had survived the crash and Mac Taylor had been named as the driver of the car she crashed into. She had hit the wrong side! She could accept that Mac was alive, but not that Horatio and the baby were as well.

However, there was nothing she could do about it. She had no friends, no contacts and she couldn't leave her apartment. It was an apartment she had bought in her sister's name and even her husband didn't know about it. Here she could hide; but not for long. She would have to leave eventually to buy food or get out of the state.

She threw the TV remote control at the TV and angrily sat down on the couch. Her body ached and she had a terrible headache. She had ditched her car in an empty parking lot and been careful to not be seen by anyone on her way back to her hideout.

She would have to think of another way to have her revenge on the redhead.

**-I-**

Mac stared at his lover in the hospital bed. He was hooked up to so many machines and a nurse was doing an ultrasound to make sure the baby was still doing fine. She smiled at Mac and moved away a little so he could see the monitor. He smiled as he saw his and Horatio's child. Sheldon patted Mac on the shoulder and wheeled him closer to Horatio's bed.

Mac grabbed onto his lover's hand and squeezed it softly. Horatio looked like he was sleeping. Now Mac knew how Horatio had felt when he had been sitting by his bedside after Mac had been shot in the robbery. Sheldon and the nurse left the room to give Mac some privacy with his lover.

"Love, please wake up." Mac whispered, "I am so glad that I was driving the car."

Mac caressed the redhead's cheek with his thumb.

"I would take a bullet for you." Mac said, "Horatio, don't leave me alone for too long okay? I need someone to hold when I go to sleep and that someone has to be you."

Mac squeezed Horatio's hand and kissed his cheek. There was a knock on the door and the nurse came back inside with Horatio's doctor. When the doctor had told Sheldon that the visit had to be short he hadn't been joking. Mac appreciated that the good doctor was only thinking about his lover's health and their baby's health. But Mac felt it was such a short visit. He couldn't relax unless he was with Horatio.

Sheldon walked into the room and grabbed the handles to Mac's wheelchair. Mac gave Horatio one last kiss on the cheek before letting Sheldon wheel him out of the room.

"Mac, he's going to be okay." Sheldon said.

"I know. But I need him to wake up before I can believe it." Mac sighed, "And I need someone to take my statement."

"Are you sure you want to do this now? You should be resting."

"Hawkes, I… I have to do this now. Get it out of my system." Mac said, "And then I need to talk to Horatio's doctor. He can't keep me from him."

"Well, technically he can." Sheldon smirked, because he knew what Mac meant when he said "talk" to the doctor.

"He can try but I've been a marine so I have encountered far more dangerous things than a doctor." Mac growled.

Sheldon chuckled and wheeled Mac back to his room. On the way he called Frank and told him that Mac wanted to make a statement.

**-I-**

It had been over 24 hours since the crash. Horatio had yet to wake up and Mac's "talk" with the redhead's doctor had probably left the young doctor scarred for life with mental images of what Mac could do to him. On the bright side Mac was now sharing a room with Horatio. The team worried that the former marine would never rest as he spent all his time on the chair next to his lover; he refused to rest and barely ate anything. No one had been able to change it either, not even Alexx had managed to get the tough brunette to rest or eat anything more than a tiny bagel.

The team had finished processing the rental car and the car Mrs. Reardon had been driving (they had found it in an empty parking lot a few hours ago). Paint transfer from the rental car to Mrs. Reardon's car proved that she had crashed into them. She had left her hair behind in her car and fingerprints. All they had to do now was to figure out where she had gone after dumping the car.

"Maybe we can check the surveillance cameras." Walter suggested.

The team was in the layout room completely exhausted but they refused to sleep until they had caught Mrs. Reardon. Sheldon had joined them while Alexx was keeping Mac company at the hospital.

"Well, the parking lot where we found the car doesn't have any." Ryan yawned.

"But what about surrounding stores?" Walter asked.

"It's a big parking lot." Ryan said, "Not a store anywhere near where the car was found."

"True, but she had to leave the parking lot too." Sheldon said, "And to do that she had to have passed by one of the stores."

"We can't get a warrant to look at all those stores' surveillance cameras." Eric said, "And that neighborhood has very few cameras anyway."

"We could always ask the store owners." Calleigh suggested.

"Worth a shot." Frank said, "We have to try anyway. Sheldon, Calleigh and I will take the stores on east and north side of the parking. Eric, Ryan and Walter you take the south and west."

Everybody split up into their groups and hurried off to the area. Frank, Sheldon and Calleigh had no luck with the owners and it looked like Ryan, Eric and Walter didn't either, but then someone approached them. A young girl whom had been filming her dog in the alley, (which she admitted she used for dog fights and that's why she hadn't said anything earlier), had caught a woman in a hooded sweater, jeans and high heels walking passed the alley.

She gave the video to the CSI's and in return they chose to give her a free pass on her illegal dog fight training... for now.

**-I-**

Missus Lacey Reardon was enjoying some afternoon tea when she heard footsteps outside her front door. Faint steps as if someone was sneaking around outside. She didn't have a spy-hole, but she would have needed one now. She stood up from the couch and listened carefully. She lived on the bottom floor and had a second exit through the kitchen out on the small back porch and from there she could escape down the street.

When the door burst open she ran through the kitchen and knocked the door open in an officer's face just as he was about to enter through that way. She was barefoot and the ground was hot, but she didn't stop. She kept on running and heard raised voices behind her. She turned around a corner and down an alley. The voices were becoming fainter and she looked back over her shoulder.

She never saw it coming and didn't even have time to react as someone tackled her to the ground. She tried to fight but was quickly handcuffed and lied down on the ground on her stomach. Ryan Wolfe and Sheldon Hawkes had been hiding on the other side of the alley behind a dumpster, just in case Mrs. Reardon would show up that way. Lucky for them she had and now they finally had her under arrest.

"You thought you were smart, huh?" Ryan asked.

"I was smart enough to follow Caine and his lover from work to where they rented the car. Did they really think that I was stupid enough to not follow them? I saw the police cruiser outside their house and knew I couldn't attack them there." Mrs. Reardon growled, "And I crashed into them. I only wish that Caine had been the one driving and maybe he had been hurt far worse."

"Was that a confession?" Sheldon asked.

Mrs. Reardon realized what she had said and shut her mouth quickly. She glared at Ryan and Sheldon as they sat her up against the wall

"You were almost going to make it you know. If it wasn't for a witness catching you on tape as you left to go to your apartment after you had dumped your car, we wouldn't have found you." Ryan smiled, "She caught you limping your way back here and we saw what street you were walking on too because you passed the pizza place known as Lucino's."

"And then we asked your neighbors if they had seen you and they had. You live next to a paranoid woman who sees everyone that comes and goes." Sheldon said.

"You picked the wrong place to hide in." Ryan said, "And now you're under arrest for the attempted murder of Lieutenant Horatio Caine and Mac Taylor."

As Ryan read Mrs. Reardon her rights Sheldon called Alexx (who was still at the hospital with Mac) and told her the good news.

**-I-**

It had been hours since Mrs. Reardon had been arrested and Horatio had yet to wake up. Mac was growing more worried every minute that passed. He was alone in the room while Sheldon had gone to the cafeteria for something to eat and some coffee.

Mac entwined his fingers with Horatio's and used his other hand to run his fingers through his lover's red hair. Horatio looked so peaceful. The oxygen mask had been removed and replaced with a nasal cannula. Horatio's eyes moved behind his eyelids and every now and then his fingers would twitch as he dreamt something. But he wasn't waking up. Mac put the hand he had been running through Horatio's hair and placed on his 25 week pregnant belly. The baby was sleeping for once; it was in fact quite amazing how the crash hadn't affected the baby at all.

Mac rubbed his eyes sleepily and yawned. He got up from the chair and started pacing. He had to move before he fell asleep; he refused to sleep until Horatio woke up. Mac wanted the first face that the redhead would see when he woke up to be his. This should be the happiest time of their lives; a part from when their baby was actually born.

They should be at home looking through all the things they had bought, arguing about if they should change the color on the walls in the nursery, they should be looking forward to see the belly grow and for the baby to be born. Not be in the hospital. Mac should be at home with Horatio and have dinner by now, and then maybe they would enjoy a movie and a relaxing bath. He shouldn't be worrying about when his lover would open his eyes and wake up. Mac just wanted to see those amazing blue eyes again; those bottomless baby blue sapphires.

Mac heard a cough and turned around to face the bed. Horatio grimaced and sighed. He eyes didn't open, but he was clearly waking up. His head rolled to the side and he groaned before fighting to open one eye.

Mac sat down on the chair next to the bed and grabbed his lover's hands. He kissed Horatio on the cheek and the surprised redhead opened both eyes and frowned. Mac smiled at him.

"You're awake. I've been waiting." Mac said, "I was so scared."

"Scared of what?" Horatio asked, "I don't remember."

There was a knock on the door and Sheldon peeked inside, when he saw that Horatio was awake he rushed to the other side of the bed and started checking his pulse and vitals. Horatio looked confused at Mac and the younger man realized that Horatio didn't remember the crash.

"What happened?" Horatio asked, "I don't remember how I got here."

"What is the last thing you remember?" Mac asked.

"We were driving the rental car to Calleigh and Eric's house." Horatio said.

Mac sighed in relief. He had feared that Horatio's memory loss would be much more severe and luckily the only thing he had forgotten was the actual crash. Horatio was stunned to hear Mac tell him everything that had happened from the crash to when he had woken up.

"Is the baby okay?" Horatio asked.

"Yes, fine." Mac smiled, "You're worse though."

Horatio groaned when Mac told him about his injuries. Horatio hated being injured or sick. Even if he would spend several days at home with Mac he didn't like being on sick leave.

The two lover's peace didn't last long though. After Horatio and Mac had gotten a few hours of sleep, with Sheldon keeping them company in the room, they got some news that were very disturbing.

Frank arrived at the hospital with two uniformed officers, whom were placed outside the room to guard Mac and Horatio.

"I've got some bad news." He said, "Mrs. Reardon is gone."

"What?" Mac exclaimed, "How can that be? She was in custody!"

"She was on the bus to jail when somebody drove into it and forced it to crash against a railing. It ended up on its side and several prisoners escaped. Including Mrs. Reardon." Frank sighed, "We know that the driver of the car was going to save somebody else. We caught almost all of the escapees, except Javier Riviera and his cousin, who is the guy that drove the car and helped Javier escape, as well as Mrs. Reardon and Lucas Bedford."

"She's free." Horatio said.

"We got every cop available out looking for her and the others. You and Mac will have around-the-clock police protection. She won't be able to hurt you again." Frank said.

Horatio and Mac said nothing. Horatio just closed his eyes and prayed to the higher powers that Mrs. Reardon would stay away.

_**Please review!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you all **_**very much**_** for the reviews!**

Being 27 weeks pregnant was not easy for Horatio Caine. Especially not when he had a dislocated shoulder and a broken rib to go with it. He could barely move with his aching back either and his mood was not just effected by his pregnancy hormones, but also by the fact that Mrs. Reardon had yet to be caught since her escape.

It had been two weeks since she had crashed into Mac and Horatio's rental car. Two weeks she had vanished into thin air. She and two other prisoners had escaped when someone had rammed the prison bus. Mac and Horatio didn't have any protection either any more. Mrs. Reardon had been spotted in Tallahassee; far away from Miami. But even though she was far away from Horatio and Mac neither man could completely relax and Horatio suffered from nightmares.

He and Mac had only been home from the hospital for a week and Horatio was on sick leave. Mac tried his best to keep his lover on a good mood, but the older man pulled away from everyone. He was worried, angry, scared and feeling like, once again, someone was going to take everything good from him. He couldn't shake the feeling that Mrs. Reardon would come back and when she did she would bring chaos with her. Horatio just wanted to be happy and it seemed as if that was never going to happen. Why couldn't the psychos leave him alone?

Why couldn't he just be allowed to be happy with his lover and enjoy the pregnancy? They were going to be a family soon and the last thing Horatio needed or wanted was to worry about some crazy woman going after him with the intention to kill him.

When Horatio dropped a glass of water one morning and couldn't bend down to clean it up he snapped. It was the last straw for him and he couldn't take the pain or the worry anymore. Everything ached for him; his shoulder, rib, back, ankles and his head. He pulled out several glasses from the cabinets and threw them at the wall. Tears fell from his eyes and he finally slid down on the floor crying. Glass shards were everywhere on the floor and Mac had woken up from the sound of his angry lover attempting let go of some emotions.

Mac hurried to the kitchen as fast as he could with his injured leg and two broken ribs. He found his lover on the floor with his head hung low. He was sobbing and Mac took in the sight of the marks on the wall from the glasses Horatio had thrown at it. He carefully and slowly, (keeping in mind that he couldn't really use his leg like before yet), sat down next to his redheaded lover; when he attempted to hug him Horatio pushed Mac away.

"Love?" Mac asked.

"It's not fair." Horatio sobbed quietly.

"What is not fair?"

"This. Everything!" Horatio growled, "We've both been through so much in life. We've lost people we loved and have spent so many days and nights alone. And when we finally find true happiness and love it's taken away from us."

"Horatio, I'm still here and you are still here. Mrs. Reardon hasn't taken anything from us." Mac said.

"Yes she has."

Mac put his arm around his lover and Horatio let his head rest against Mac's shoulder. His tears got Mac's shirt wet; Mac didn't care though. He sat with Horatio as he cried and got angry. When his tears fell and when he cursed at Mrs. Reardon or banged his hand against the cabinets behind him in anger. Mac simply stayed by his side as his lover let his emotions go.

"She's going to take it all away." Horatio whispered.

"She is not going to take me away from you." Mac said and lifted his lover's head up so Horatio had to look at him, "I'm right here and I am going to stay here until we both grow old and wrinkled."

Horatio chuckled and embraced the younger man.

"Mac, every day that she is a free woman you and I are not free. We are prisoners." Horatio said, "She is going to finish what she started, it's just a matter of time."

"Horatio, don't-"

"No listen to me. She is going to come back. She is. I know it." Horatio sighed sadly, "And until she does we can do nothing but wait. We can never be safe until she is either dead or in jail. Every day that she is free she wins because she steals our freedom for us. She steals our happiness and our peace."

Mac knew his lover was right. It was hard to be happy when Mrs. Reardon was missing. When they didn't know if she would return the next day or in a year. They couldn't relax because they would be in danger until she was dead or in jail. Horatio shouldn't be put in a stressful situation because of his pregnancy, but who wouldn't be stressed when there was a woman out there to kill you?

"I am not going to let anything happen to you." Mac said, "Or to our baby. She is not getting anywhere near you."

"This is not how it was supposed to be." Horatio whispered, "We were supposed to be happy now. Patiently waiting for the birth of our child, I was going to be mad at you for not buying pineapples and instead we're sitting here injured and with no idea if Mrs. Reardon is coming back tomorrow to kill me."

Mac pulled Horatio in for a kiss and looked into his blue eyes when they parted. Mac wasn't going to let Mrs. Reardon get her hands on Horatio.

"Don't let her win, Horatio." He said, "Don't let her win. We continue our lives as before. Until we have proof that she is in Miami or close, we will _not_ let her win by making us miserable."

"Continue like nothing has happened?"

"No, but we don't let her win buy being scared every day. She is not going to win by taking away our joy, love and happiness. We are having a baby and we are going to continue being happy about it and look forward to it. We love each other and we are going to continue doing that and be happy with each other." Mac smiled, "She is _not_ taking it away from us."

Horatio nodded and looked at all the shattered glass on the floor. He sighed and stood up. Mac stood up too and went to get a broom from the basement. When he came back Horatio was trying to pick up the bigger pieces of glass while groaning as his back ached.

"Love, please just relax." Mac said.

"I'm not handicapped." Horatio growled.

"I know, but you are in pain. Now, please relax on the couch. You need to take a nap anyway."

"I'm not a child you can just tell what to do, Mac."

"I know that too love." Mac smiled amused, "But you didn't sleep much last night and I can see that you're tired."

Horatio was about to protest when he yawned. He sighed and gave Mac a kiss on the cheek before leaving the kitchen. Mac started cleaning up the floor and counted the glasses that were still in the cabinet; five.

"Guess we're going to have buy new glasses." Mac shrugged.

**-I-**

The team had been very helpful during the week the two men had been home. Sheldon had stayed a few days as well but had then had to go home. A very amused Frank had been asked by Mac to buy some new glasses. When he had returned to the beach house he had watched as Mac and Horatio had an argument about something silly. Horatio was sick and tired of having an aching back and Mac tried to tell him that it was all part of the pregnancy and that pain killers would help.

"I've already taken it! It doesn't help!" Horatio exclaimed and started pacing around in the living room.

Mac sat in the recliner and Frank on the couch. When he saw Horatio being so moody because of the pregnancy hormones he could only think of his ex-wife and her three pregnancies. She had been just the same, but probably a lot sadder than Horatio. Horatio mostly got angry while Frank's ex-wife had cried more. Pregnancy hormones was a wonderful thing.

"Love, you know this is all part-"

"Of this fucking pregnancy, yes. But it's your fault. If you hadn't knocked me up then I would be in pain right now!"

"I knocked you up?" Mac asked amused.

"Yeah! How do you think I got pregnant?" Horatio asked, "It's you and your sperm cells that did this to me."

"I believe it takes two to tango." Frank grinned.

"Shut up baldy." Horatio growled low, "It's Mac's fault."

"Hey, Frank is right and besides you didn't know you could get pregnant until you already were pegnact." Mac pointed out.

"Just let me be upset and blame you, okay?" Horatio sighed and rubbed his aching back.

Mac threw his hands up in the air in surrender and just smiled at his lover. Frank handed the glasses he had bought to Mac and the other man smiled approvingly.

"Thank you Frank." He said.

"No problem." Frank smiled.

"Yeah, you two go ahead and have a great time." Horatio muttered, "Talk and be happy while I suffer."

Horatio walked out through the porch door and headed for the beach. Mac was about to follow when Frank shook his head no to him.

"Let him go. He needs some time alone." Frank said.

"I just want to help." Mac sighed.

"You are helping more than you think." Frank said, "Before he met you Horatio would have never handled the situation with Mrs. Reardon this well."

"You call throwing glasses at the wall okay?"

"Well, it's an improvement. Look, if he hadn't met you he would have worked himself to death trying to bring her to justice. He wouldn't have slept or eaten. Hell, he wouldn't have told anyone how he felt, not even me."

"Well, he's injured so he can't work."

"That's not all of it. Sure, being on sick leave slows him down and being pregnant too." Frank said, "But if you weren't here he would have still gone to the lab and he would have probably collapsed from exhaustion. You make him realize that he needs to slow down. Not just for his own health, but because of the baby and because you get worried if he doesn't."

"I guess I do slow him down." Mac smiled.

"More than you think." Frank smiled back, "He once told me that being with you made him realize that there are things more important than work. That _you_ are more important than work."

It touched Mac deeply to hear it. He knew that he meant the world to Horatio, but to hear that he had said it to Frank meant a lot. Horatio had several times told Mac how much he loved him and how important Mac was to him, but Mac never got tired of hearing it.

"He does the same with me." Mac smiled and looked out towards the beach.

He couldn't see his lover of course, but he still looked.

"Do you guys need something done while I'm here?" Frank asked, "I have to meet my daughter for a baseball game in two hours but before that I could help you out if you need it."

"We're fine Frank, thank you." Mac smiled.

"Well, then I'm going to leave you two alone." Frank smiled and stood up.

Mac followed Frank to the door and before the big Texan left he looked at Mac.

"He needs you more than ever now." Frank said, "I've never seen him so scared. He's is terrified of losing you and he might need to be reassured that he won't more than once."

Mac nodded, "I understand."

"I know that you need to talk to him too." Frank said, "And be sure that you take care of yourself too."

"I will." Mac smiled.

Frank shook Mac's hand before walking out the front door to leave. Mac closed the door and sighed, then began walking down to the beach. He found his lover lying in the sand and looking at the sky. Mac lied down next to him and grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry that I got angry." Horatio whispered.

"Don't be. I love you no matter how angry you get." Mac grinned.

Horatio squeezed Mac's hand softly and there was a moment of silence before Horatio opened his mouth to speak.

"When I was a kid my mom used to say that heaven existed, not just the way most people thought." Horatio said, "I told her that heaven only exists for little kids because that's where their parents tell them that loved ones go when they die."

"I'm guessing she told you that you were wrong." Mac said.

"Oh yeah." Horatio grinned, "She said that heaven is a part of the sky. The big blue that we see during the day and the dark during the night. She said heaven is the place where the dead go to look out for us. The heaven is the sky and therefore always with us."

"Heaven is the sky and the sky is heaven." Mac said.

"Yes." Horatio sighed, "I have always wondered if she is up there. If Speed, Al and Raymond are there too."

"I think they are." Mac said and for a moment he wondered if Clair was also there.

He didn't really believe in heaven and hell, but it was a nice thought to think that the loves ones were looking out for the people on earth by always being there.

"I always used to think that heaven was some sort of place beyond the sky that we couldn't see where everyone went after they died." Horatio said, "That they lived on the clouds."

"But now you don't."

"No. I don't know if I believe in heaven and hell completely. But I like to think that my mother, Speed and Raymond and Al are up there. We can't see them and they probably don't even look like people anymore. But that somehow they are there." Horatio smiled.

"I think so too." Mac grinned.

Horatio gave Mac a kiss and then snuggled close to the younger man. They weren't doing okay yet, but they would be okay soon. They would continue living their lives and being happy and not let Mrs. Reardon take it away from them.

_**Please review!**_

_**Maybe I should just let you all know that updates will probably only come once a week. I have a lot to do in school so unfortunately I can't write as often as I would want to and therefore not update so fast either. But I plan on updating once a week.**_


	17. Chapter 17

**Thanks **_**very much**_** for the reviews!**

Horatio woke up to someone clawing at his neck. He grimaced and opened one eye to see his cat Elvis lying on his chest and drawing his claws along the skin of his neck; just hard enough for Horatio to feel it and wake him up, but not enough to hurt him.

"Sometimes you are a real pain in the ass, Elvis." Horatio muttered.

The ginger cat just purred and closed his eyes. He loved sleeping on his master's chest. Horatio looked at the time and realized he had only slept for four hours. Not nearly as long as he wanted or needed. But the baby had kept him awake almost all night. It wasn't even seven in the morning yet. He heard Mac's soft snoring from beside him and sighed.

Now that he was awake he decided that he might as well get out of the bed and get something to eat. He picked up Elvis and put him down on the floor before he sat up on the edge of the bed. Horatio rubbed his belly; it was just getting bigger and bigger. He was already 30 weeks pregnant and suddenly it wasn't much time left before it was time to give birth. Horatio wasn't worried yet, but he knew Mac had started to worry; although the younger man didn't admit it.

Horatio groaned when his back ached as he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom. He had never thought that being pregnant could be so hard. He didn't want to change it though; he loved being pregnant. However, sometimes when he was having a bad day, he wished for nothing more than for the bundle of joy to be born so he could get rid of the back ache, the swollen ankles and the big belly that was in the way.

Horatio showered and got dressed before he walked to the kitchen to make some breakfast for himself. He knew his lover wouldn't wake up yet and Horatio was planning to have breakfast in bed for him; because today was Mac's birthday.

Normally Horatio and Mac would take a small weekend trip to Key West when one of them had a birthday, but this weekend the New York team was coming down to celebrate and after just having come back to work after sick leave, Horatio and Mac decided to stay home.

After eating some breakfast Horatio decided to wrap in Mac's gift. It was a new golden wristwatch (Mac loved golden watches). Engraved on it was _"From your grumpy man with all the love in the world- happy birthday"_. Horatio knew that Mac had to put up with a lot of things because of his pregnancy hormones; although Mac never complained about it.

Just two hours later he could hear his lover wake up as he growled at Elvis to get off him. Elvis loved to play with Mac's toes as if they were his toys and it wasn't always that the younger man enjoyed it as much as the cat did.

Horatio felt lucky he had already started making pancakes for his lover for breakfast. They were just done when he heard Elvis run around the living room back and forth; clearly trying to entertain himself. Horatio put the food on a tray and headed to the bedroom. He had to stop in the doorway and let his heart rate get back to normal before he walked over to the bed; Mac was incredibly sexy with his hair tousled and a look that showed he had just woken up. Horatio sat down on the bed next to his lover and put the tray in his lap.

"No good morning kiss?" Mac asked.

Horatio leaned forward and gave the younger man a passionate kiss.

"No good morning sex?" Mac winked.

"After your breakfast." Horatio smiled, "Happy birthday, love."

Mac grinned, "Thank you."

Also on the tray was a cup of coffee and the wrapped gift. Mac grabbed the gift first and started opening it. He smiled widely when he saw the wrist watch and read the engraving.

"It's great. Thank you." Mac smiled and gave his lover a kiss, "This must have cost a fortune, Horatio. It's really nice and golden."

"You're worth every penny." Horatio smiled.

"So do I really have to eat breakfast before we have sex?" Mac asked with a huge grin.

Horatio shook his head and put the tray on the nightstand. He climbed into bed with his naked lover and it didn't take long before Mac had gotten rid of the clothes Horatio was wearing. They rolled around under the covers while making out and rubbing their erections against each other. After a while Mac pinned Horatio to the bed and kissed his neck; on the soft spots he knew the redhead had there. Horatio squirmed and panted.

"Mac." He moaned.

Mac grinded his hips against Horatio and groaned. He sat on his knees between his lover's legs and reached into the nightstand for the lube. He glanced at the belly and then laughed.

"Did you see that?" Mac asked, "The baby just slowly dragged the foot or hand across your belly."

"I felt it."

"That looked pretty cool". Mac chuckled.

He opened the bottle of lube and put some on his fingers before pushing one digit inside the older man. Horatio grabbed on to the headboard and closed his eyes tightly. Mac nudged his prostate and quickly added a second digit.

"Uh, Mac!"

Mac smirked and bent down to take his lover's throbbing length into his mouth. Horatio arched his back and gasped as Mac enveloped him. Mac slowly took the whole member into his mouth and then slowly moved back up again to the tip. He sucked on the head of the erection while stretching his lover and adding a third digit inside him.

"Mac, oh!"

Mac used his free hand to pinch Horatio's nipples. The older man was writhing on the bed and knew he wouldn't last long if Mac kept it up. Mac knew it too and stopped everything he was doing just as he felt the older man tense up.

"Mac, you're torturing me." Horatio groaned.

"But you like it." Mac teased.

He continued stretching his lover with his digits before lubing up his straining erection. He pulled out his digits and slowly pushed inside the older man. Horatio quickly wrapped his legs around his lover's waist to push him deeper inside.

"Horatio, uh yeah." Mac moaned.

"Mac!"

Horatio opened his eyes and looked at his younger lover as he started thrusting slowly but hard. Mac gasped at the feeling of being enveloped by his lover and he grabbed onto the redhead's hips. Horatio arched his back and tightened his grip on the headboard.

"Jesus, Mac!"

With every thrust Mac hit Horatio's prostate and sent pleasure through his body. Horatio could feel himself getting closer to climax again and wanted his lover to join him. He released the headboard and started caressing Mac's chest and pinching his nipples.

"H, uh ah!"

Mac started thrusting faster and harder; while still being careful not to hurt his lover. Horatio closed his eyes tight and felt his body tense as his climax came closer. He could feel Mac tensing up as well.

"Mac!"

Mac used one hand to wrap around his lover's length. He stroked him in time with his thrusts and felt the member pulsate in his hand. He could feel Horatio's pre-cum running down the shaft and onto his hand.

"Horatio, come for me." Mac whispered and bent down to kiss his lover's neck.

Horatio cried out and came; spilling his seed over his lover's hand and his own chest. Mac moaned as Horatio's muscles contracted around him. He thrusted faster and soon came with a gasp.

"How was that for birthday sex?"Horatio panted.

Mac laughed and sat up. He pulled out of his lover and lied down next to him.

"It was perfect." Mac smiled, "Now let's get a few more hours of sleep before we have to start fixing things for tonight."

"Mac, I don't think I can go back to sleep." Horatio sighed.

"Of course you can." Mac said, "Just relax."

Mac started softly massaging his lover's scalp and Horatio closed his eyes. To his surprise it worked and it didn't take long before he fell asleep. Mac snuggled close to his lover and put a hand over the belly, feeling the baby kick, as he also succumbed to sleep. The pancakes were ice cold by the time the two men woke up again.

-I-

At around seven that evening Horatio opened the door to let everyone inside. His team and the New York team (whom hadn't seen Mac and Horatio in a while). Stella was the first one in and she embraced Horatio as best as his big belly would allow her.

"Wow, it's getting so big." She smiled, "I know we've seen pictures of the baby bump, but seeing it in real life is a little different."

"Yeah, it's getting bigger and bigger." Horatio grinned.

Once everyone were inside they made it out to the back porch and Horatio and Mac went to get the food. When everyone was seated and the food was placed on the table it was time to eat.

"So happy birthday Mac, how does it feel to be one year older?" Danny grinned.

"Same as it felt last year on my birthday." Mac said.

"And how did that feel?" Adam asked.

"Same as the year before." Mac shrugged.

"In other words you don't like it." Don said.

"He just doesn't like being the center of attention." Alexx said.

"Sounds like somebody else I know." Ryan said.

"Yeah, me too; red hair, 6 feet tall?" Danny asked.

"Sounds about right." Ryan grinned.

Mac and Horatio glanced at each other and rolled their eyes. Typical of everyone to be teasing them a bit.  
>It became very evident during the evening that Sheldon, Calleigh and Eric were good friends and had been for many years. They told the others about some old memories from years ago and how they had met. Sheldon and Calleigh had met in their twenties and then Eric had become a good friend of Sheldon's as he had started dating Calleigh four years ago.<p>

"It explains why Sheldon has always known what has been going on in Miami." Mac said, "Even before Horatio and I met he would always mention cases that the team down in Miami was working on."

"Calleigh would do the same about New York." Horatio said, "There was always some new gossip in the lab about New York."

"Well, Calleigh loves gossip." Sheldon said.

"I do not!" Calleigh exclaimed, but couldn't hide the blush.

"Yes you do. I know how hard it was for you not to tell Sheldon about me and Horatio when we came out to you." Mac smirked.

"Well… Oh, alright I confess; I love gossip. Besides it's impossible for almost any girl to keep quiet when one of your friends comes out of the closet and has a boyfriend that is the boss to another one of your friends." Calleigh defended herself.

"I have to agree with that." Stella said and Alexx and Lindsay nodded in agreement.

"Let's just face it; women love to gossip." Eric said.

"Watch it Eric or Calleigh might force you to sleep on the couch tonight." Don grinned.

The evening continued with jokes and storytelling. After a while Horatio moved to get the cake but was stopped by Alexx and Stella.

"Why can't I go?" He asked.

"Honey, I know your back is always aching, there is no point in causing yourself more pain by getting in and out of the chair." Alexx smiled.

Horatio shrugged and leaned back in the chair. Mac grabbed his hand and squeezed it softly. While Alexx and Stella went to get the cake along with some gifts the others cleaned off the table and got the dessert plates out instead. Mac and Horatio weren't allowed to help so they just sat back and watched. It didn't take long for everyone to sit down again and for Alexx to bring the cake over to Mac.

Everyone stood up to sing and Mac blushed, trying to shrink under the table to get away from everyone's attention. Horatio nudged him playfully. When the song was over they all sat down again and Mac blew out the candles.

"What did you wish for?" Horatio asked.

"If I tell you it won't come true." Mac said.

"Of course it will. Now tell me." Horatio grinned, "Tell me, tell me, tell me."

"You're like a kid on Christmas." Mac teased.

"I know, now tell me. Maybe you wished for something that I can make true." Horatio said.

"Did you even make a wish?" Sid asked.

"Yeah, I did. But I'm not telling anyone of you." Mac grinned.

Horatio growled playfully and pouted at his lover. Mac kissed his cheek and then cut out the first piece of the cake. When everyone had a piece of cake they hurried to eat it so Mac could open his gifts.

"I thought I told everyone not to buy anything?" Mac said.

"You did, but we didn't listen." Danny said.

Mac got some new books, a gift certificate to go shopping for clothes to himself and a movie.

"I know how much you love to go shopping for the baby, but this time it's only for you." Alexx said.

"I promise to only buy clothes for myself." Mac smiled, "Besides I don't need to buy baby stuff anymore. Horatio takes care of that."

"I've had one shopping frenzy so far." Horatio said, "_One."_

"Actually _three_." Mac pointed out, "Just last week you came home with twelve bags of clothes, toys and baby books."

"Well, at least I buy things for both a boy and a girl. You only buy for girls."

"Not always.

"Well, most of the time anyway." Horatio said.

Mac grinned and rubbed Horatio's belly slowly. Their friends just watched amused as the two men playfully bickered with each other.

"So only 10 weeks left, are you getting nervous?" Stella asked.

"No." Both men said.

"You are nervous." Horatio said to Mac.

"I am not."

"Oh yeah? Then how come you have suddenly started watching every available program about labor on TV and started reading stuff on the internet?" Horatio asked.

Mac opened his mouth to say something but then quickly shut it again.

"Busted." Don smirked and everyone laughed.

"Well, 10 weeks go by very quickly and I like to be prepared." Mac said.

"Trust me honey, no matter how much you read you can never completely prepare yourself for labor. Not the first time anyway." Alexx said.

"Yeah, I thought I knew everything when my ex-wife and I had our first child, but then when the day came I still felt completely lost and overwhelmed at everything that was going on." Frank said, "Everything I had read just vanished and I couldn't remember a thing."

"And you won't be the one in pain either. I should be the one preparing myself." Horatio said.

"I'm amazed you aren't nervous." Lindsay said.

"Well, I will be eventually." Horatio shrugged.

"And then you can tell Danny and Lindsay all about it so they know what it will be like when they have their baby." Stella smirked.

Mac and Horatio looked surprised at Danny and Lindsay as they both blushed. They had thought that their relationship had been so secret, but then Stella had told them that everyone already knew about it in the lab.

"How long have you two been seeing each other?" Mac asked.

"About two months." Danny said.

"We knew from the very first day you worked together that you had a crush on Lindsay." Sid smiled.

"Yeah, because you gave her a certain look every time you thought no one could see and also because you kept calling her Montana." Don grinned, "Sorry Danny-boy, but we have all known for quite some time now."

"Sometimes I hate the fact that all my friends are in working the law enforcement." Danny muttered and blushed.

"Welcome to our world." Mac said, "Horatio and I had the same problem. Stella knew something had happened in Boston the moment she saw me when I got back."

"Women's intuition." Stella grinned.

"You can't hide anything from cops." Horatio smiled.

-I-

Later that night after everyone had left Mac and Horatio were watching the news lazily. Their interest wasn't peaked until the news reporter started talking about the prison escape five weeks earlier. One of the escapees, Javier Riviera, had been found. Javier had murdered three women when he was on the bus that his cousin rammed.

Since his release he had been hiding out at a friend's place and murdered two more women before finally getting caught. His latest victim, which should have been his sixth kill, had managed to escape and had lead the police to Javier. Now both he and his cousin faced some serious charges.

The reporter also mentioned that the two other escapees had been spotted outside the state; Lucas Bedford had been spotted in Chicago and Mrs. Reardon in Los Angeles.

"She's far away from here." Mac said when he noticed how Horatio tensed up as Mrs. Reardon's mug shot appeared on the screen.

"I know." Horatio said quietly.

They watched the rest of the news in silence before Horatio stood up and grabbed Mac's hand.

"Come on, we have a birthday to celebrate." He smiled.

"I thought we had celebrated it already." Mac said and stood up.

"We're not done." Horatio whispered in Mac's ear, "It's my turn to take you… and I want to do it in the shower."

Mac shivered with anticipation and grinned as his lover dragged him to the master bathroom. This was the best birthday he had had so far.

**_Please review!_**


	18. Chapter 18

**Thank you all very much for the reviews!**

"Is there anything I should know that I might not know about cats while you're away?" Ryan asked, while he picked Elvis up into his arms and cuddled with him. The ginger "beast" (as he was sometimes called) adored Ryan and purred loudly.

The young man had offered to watch over the house and the cat while Mac and Horatio were relaxing in a rented cabin in Key West; close to the ocean and with their own private beach.

"Only that he is a monster that loves do interrupt your sleep." Mac smirked.

"Oh I don't mind that." Ryan smiled and scratched Elvis's head.

The cat purred even louder (if that was even possible) and closed his eyes. Ryan liked Elvis, he wished he could have a cat just like him one day but hadn't bought his own pet yet.

"I'll drive by to check on the house about twice a day." Ryan said.

He would be sleeping at his own place and have Elvis there, but still make daily checks on the beach house to make sure everything was okay.

"Oh don't worry about it. Once a day is probably more than enough, but thanks." Mac smiled.

Both men grinned when they heard someone grumbling from upstairs and then stomping footsteps coming down the stairs. Horatio looked pissed and Ryan winced as he saw that his boss and friend was rubbing his aching back. Horatio was already 33 weeks pregnant and had had a difficult week. Three murder cases, a rape case and two burglaries had been investigated in just five days and the team still had two murder cases left to wrap up. The redhead had taken a lot of crap from the higher ups about why it was taking so long.  
>Thankfully Chief Samuel Baxter was a nice man and didn't pressure Horatio or the team to solve a case in just two hours. However, Baxter's bosses were not so understanding.<p>

Add to that Horatio had suffered from horrible back pain the whole week and even stumbled in the stairs, resulting in a minor sprained ankle. He had been limping around for a few days, but now it seemed fine.

"Hey Ryan, thank you for taking care of the house and Elvis while we're gone." Horatio smiled at the younger man.

"No problem, H." Ryan grinned, "Although I might not let you have Elvis back when you return."

All three men laughed. Horatio knew how much Ryan adored Elvis and wished he had a cat just like him or even wish he specifically had Elvis. But the ginger little monster had a special place in Horatio's heart and had kept him company many nights before he had met Mac.  
>Horatio couldn't possibly give him to Ryan even if he knew how happy the younger man would get. Sometimes he wanted to give him away as a gift, but then he thought about how much he would miss the cat and decided not to.<p>

"You really like him, don't you?" Mac asked.

"Yeah." Ryan smiled, "If you ever get tired of him, which I know you never will, you can give him to me."

"We'll remember that the next time he decides that my face is a pillow he can scratch at three am." Mac said.

Ryan chuckled as he remembered what Mac's face had looked like a week earlier. He had visited the lab and everyone had thought that Horatio had scratched him, but then Mac had told them what really happened. Everyone had burst out laughing.

"Well, we better get going." Horatio said, "Thanks again, Ryan."

"Anytime." Ryan smiled and put Elvis in his transport cage.

Mac locked the house and then got behind the wheel of his and Horatio's Toyota. Ryan got inside his hummer with Elvis and drove away. Horatio was already in the passenger seat and looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"It's a long drive. Why don't you catch some sleep?" Mac suggested.

"Wake me up if you get bored." Horatio said.

"I will never wake you up. You need to sleep." Mac smiled.

They shared a kiss and then Horatio leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. It didn't take long before he fell asleep and Mac listened quietly to the radio while he drove to their Key West cabin.

**-I-**

Eric was on the floor doubled over from laughing as Ryan desperately tried to get Elvis to let go of his head. The cat had jumped up in his face and grabbed the back of his head when Eric's sneeze had scared him. Now the animal refused to let go.

"Argh! Elvis!" Ryan exclaimed, "Get off!"

Eric had tears running down his face from laughing so hard and Ryan glared at him. He now understood why Mac and Horatio said that Elvis was a monster. Although he had to admit it was kind of funny and he still liked Elvis.

"Eric, help me out!" Ryan whined.

Calleigh came out from the bathroom and sighed as she saw Eric on the floor and Ryan on the couch, trying to pull Elvis away. She walked up to Ryan and gently grabbed Elvis. The cat purred loudly and settled down in Calleigh's arms.

"Looks like he loves me now." Calleigh teased and sat down in the recliner.

She and Eric were visiting Ryan to watch some basketball later in the evening.

"Do you know if Mac and Horatio have arrived at the cabin yet?" She asked.

"Yeah, they got there like an hour ago." Ryan said and turned on the TV, "Eric, you can stop laughing now."

Eric was still laughing and tried to calm down only to end up laughing some more. He only wished they had videotaped it; they way Elvis had jumped up in the air right at Ryan's face was just too hilarious and then refusing to get off was even more fun.

Finally Eric calmed down and got up from the floor. He sat down next to Ryan and grinned.

"I'm going to order some pizza." Ryan said and stuck his tongue out at Eric.

Eric just grinned as Ryan went to the kitchen to make the call.

"Boys." Calleigh sighed and rolled her eyes.

She put Elvis in her lap and he immidiately started to fall asleep.

"I always thought H was exaggerating when he said that Elvis was a little monster." Eric said.

"Me too." Ryan said when he came back to the living room after having called for Pizza.

"Horatio never exaggerates." Calleigh said.

"Good point." Eric said.

Everyone jumped as a phone rang and it turned out to be Calleigh's phone.

"Duquesne." She said, "Oh hi Mac… what? Really?... Is he okay?... You what?"

Eric and Ryan looked concerned at each other. Calleigh chuckled and talked some more to Mac before hanging up.

"You'll never believe this." She smiled, "That was Mac; he and Horatio are at the hospital."

"What? Why? Is H okay?" Eric asked concerned.

"What happened?" Ryan asked.

"Let me talk and I'll tell you." Calleigh said.

She told the two men what had happened; it wasn't bad news, just surprising.

"So does that mean we need to buy two of everything?" Ryan asked.

"Yep." Calleigh grinned.

**-I-**

Horatio sighed as the doctor did an ultrasound on him... again. He and Mac were at the hospital because Horatio had gotten Braxton Hicks contractions. First he had thought it was real contractions so he and Mac had driven in panic to the closest hospital. It turned out it wasn't real labor, but when the doctor did an ultrasound he found something else that had been hidden all these months. Now the doctor was checking again.

"There is the other one." He smiled, "He or she must have been hiding behind the first baby."

"We are having twins." Mac grinned, "This explains why you're belly is bigger than a normal belly with only baby in it."

"Yeah, but the twins are quite small and that's why you didn't have a huge twin-belly either." The doctor smiled, "So I guess this is good news?"

"Oh yes." Mac smiled, "Right, love?"

"Yes, I'm just shocked." Horatio said.

The doctor decided to give the two lovers a moment alone while he printed an ultrasound picture for them. Mac hugged his lover.

"I'm going to call Calleigh." He said.

Horatio nodded and watched as Mac started pacing around in the room while he waited for Calleigh to pick up.

"_Duquesne_."

"Hi, Calleigh it's Mac."

"_Hi Mac_."

"Hi, listen Horatio and I are at the hospital."

"_What? Really?_"

"Yeah, H got Braxton Hicks contractions."

"_Is he okay?_"

"Yeah, he's fine. A little tired but fine." Mac smiled, "We're having twins though."

"_You what?"_

Horatio started laughing and Mac put Calleigh on speaker phone.

"Hi Cal." Horatio said.

"_Oh my god, that's quite a shock_."

"Yeah, it turns out that one baby was hiding behind the other one." Horatio said.

"_Well, at least you found out before the real labor, huh?_"

"Yeah, that would have been a bigger shock." Mac said, "We have to buy two of everything now too."

"_Are you happy?_"

"Oh yes, we're very happy." Mac grinned.

"_Oh, I'm so thrilled for you guys. Eric and Ryan are curious now._"

"Well, let them now, will you?" Mac asked.

"_Sure._"

"Thanks, and by Calleigh. We'll probably call tomorrow." Horatio said.

"_Bye guys, take care now_."

Mac hung up the phone and gave Horatio a kiss before putting his hand over the belly. He could feel their babies kick.

"We have to buy another crib, baby swing, car seat... you name it." Horatio said.

"It's a good thing we have clothes for both a boy and a girl in case that is what they are." Mac said.

"We have to think of another girl name in case it's two girls." Horatio said, "We already have two boy names."

There was a knock on the door and the doctor came back inside the room. He smiled at the two men and handed them a picture from the ultrasound where the two babies were clearly visible.

"So I want you two to be extra careful this weekend of stress or other exercises." The doctor smiled.

Horatio and Mac blushed as they remembered what they had been doing when Horatio had got his contractions.

**Flashback**

_The minute the door to the cabin closed Horatio attacked Mac and kissed him hard. He pinned the younger man against the door and grinded his hips against him; letting Mac feel his hard bulge._

_Mac groaned and rubbed Horatio through his jeans. Horatio's knees almost buckled and he started moving towards the bedroom while still kissing Mac._

_Once inside the bedroom Horatio pushed Mac down on the bed and bent down between his knees. Mac was breathing hard and he tensed with anticipation as his lover pulled down his slacks and boxers; freeing his throbbing erection._

"_Uh, H!" _

_Mac moaned and gasped as Horatio enveloped the head of his hard length with his lips. Horatio moaned and fondled Mac's balls while sucking him slowly._

_Mac's hips arched as Horatio took his whole member into his mouth and let his teeth grace his shaft._

"_Horatio, ah!"_

_Horatio smirked and stood up. He flipped Mac around on his stomach._

"_Get on all four." He whispered._

_Mac shivered and smirked. He got on all four and Horatio pulled the lube out from his jeans pocket (he had hid it there the whole time). Mac moaned when he felt a lubed digit get pushed inside him and a hand wrap around his member to stroke him._

"_Uh, love that feels good." _

_Horatio gently nipped at the skin at Mac's lower back as he added a second digit inside him. _

"_Oh, please love, now!" Mac begged._

"_You're not stretched enough." Horatio said._

"_Uh yes I am."_

_Horatio just chuckled and shook his head. He nudged at his lover's prostate with his digits and Mac cried out. _

_Suddenly Horatio stopped and gasped. Mac froze and turned his head to look at his lover. He instantly got worried when he saw the pained expression in Horatio's face._

"_Love?" Mac asked._

_Horatio took a step back and pulled away from Mac before embracing his stomach and gasping in pain again. He got down on his knees and Mac quickly crouched down next to him._

"_What's wrong?" He asked._

"_I'm having a contraction!" Horatio cried out, "Oh fuck it hurts!"_

_Mac quickly put some clothes on and helped his lover to the car. As fast as he could he drove to the hospital while his lover tried to cope with the pain._

**End of flashback**

"It's a great opportunity to do exactly what we came here to do." Mac smiled, "Relax and just be lazy."

Horatio nodded and yawned.

"You can go back home and remember to relax." The doctor smiled before leaving.

Mac looked at the photo and then called Stella, Frank, Alexx and Danny while Horatio used the bathroom and got ready to leave.

Once they got back to their cabin they went directly to bed and did absolutely nothing but snuggle. Horatio quickly fell asleep. Mac stayed awake and just watched over his lover as he slept. He ran his fingers through his red hair.

Mac was absolutely thrilled to be having twins with the man he loved. The only thing he worried more about now was the labor. Horatio stirred in his sleep and Mac kissed his cheek. He put a hand over his lover's pregnant belly and started rubbing it softly. Horatio relaxed and smiled slightly as he continued sleeping.

"I love you." Mac whispered, before he decided to get some sleep as well.

_**Please review!**_


	19. Chapter 19

**Thank you all very much for the reviews!**

Mac stretched his arms above his head and yawned. He looked at the clock and sighed; 5 am. He reached out an arm to his side and was surprised to feel that his lover wasn't next to him.

"Horatio?" He called out.

When he got no answer, Mac climbed out of bed and put on some boxers and sweatpants before leaving the bedroom to find his lost lover. He found the redhead asleep in the hammock on the back porch, with a book about twin pregnancy on his chest. At some point during the night the redhead must have woken up and left to let continue Mac sleep.  
>Mac grinned and went inside to get the camera. He took some photos of his sleeping lover before putting the camera on the table next to him and removing the book. He then went back to the bed and got Horatio's cover, which he placed over him. After a kiss on the cheek Mac went back inside the house and started making breakfast. It had been almost a week since they had found out that they were having twins instead of one baby.<p>

Today was Horatio's last day at the lab before he went on paternity leave. Mac knew that the team was going to have a small goodbye party for him. He was also suspecting that they were planning a baby shower with the New York team, but he couldn't be sure. All he knew as that the team was always sitting close together and whispering whenever they could (Horatio had told him about it) and that as soon as Horatio or Mac appeared (on the days when Mac visited the lab) they would move apart and act innocent.

"What do you think about the names Noah and Caylee?"

Mac turned around from the stove where he was making pancakes to look at his sleepy lover. The redhead looked cute when he was wrapped inside his cover and with his hair tousled.

"You think it's one boy and one girl?" Mac asked, "I like the names."

"Me too." Horatio smiled, "Yes, I do think it's a boy and a girl."

"Well then it's a good thing we have clothes and toys for both." Mac smiled.

Horatio nodded and then walked up to his lover and gave him a kiss. Mac could see that the older man was tired and wrapped his arms around him.

"Hungry?"

"Ain't I always?" Horatio asked.

"Maybe." Mac grinned, "Breakfast is almost ready and after that we'll shower and head to the lab."

Horatio smiled. He was only working half the day today and would leave by lunch time. He was suspecting that his team was planning to throw him a goodbye party around lunch too. It wasn't really goodbye for them though since they would still see him, but it was a goodbye from the lab for a while. Calleigh would be boss while Horatio was on paternity leave.

After breakfast the two men took a shower and engaged in a hot make-out session. Mac could feel that his lover was a little tense so he decided to make him relax.

He pinned Horatio against the wall and kissed his neck while he slid one hand down towards his crotch.

Horatio gasped as he felt Mac wrap his hand around his length and it immidiately started growing stiff.

"Mac." Horatio moaned.

Mac kissed the soft spot he knew his lover had at his neck and smirked when Horatio's knees almost buckled. Horatio closed his eyes and moaned, feeling Mac stroke his shaft slowly.

"Uh, love!"

With his free hand Mac caressed Horatio chest and pinched his nipples. Horatio arched his back and started to thrust into Mac's hand.

"Uh, don't stop." Horatio groaned.

"I'm not planning to." Mac grinned.

Horatio was panting and moaning loudly. He shuddered with pleasure as Mac sucked on his earlobe and ran his thumb over the head of his erection.

"God, Mac!"

Mac smirked and got down on his knees. He guided Horatio's throbbing length into his mouth and sucked on the head. His hands caressed the insides of Horatio's thighs.

"Uh, ah!"

Mac's tongue swirled around the pulsating shaft before he took the whole member into his mouth; letting his teeth grace against the sensitive skin.

"Mac!"

Horatio gritted his teeth and gasped. He grabbed a fistful of Mac's hair and started to slowly thrust into his lover's mouth. Mac moaned and pinned Horatio's hips against the wall.

"Uh, please love!"

Mac knew what his lover was asking for and started sucking faster. He knew the older man needed to climax and he wasn't in the mood to tease him and not let him get what he wanted. Mac could feel the redhead tense up and knew he was almost there; just a little more and then he would climax.

Just before he came Horatio's whole body stiffened.

"Oh, Mac!" Horatio cried out and shot his seed into his lover's mouth.

Mac continued sucking Horatio until his length went soft before standing up and giving the redhead a kiss. Horatio could feel Mac's erection pressing into his hip as they kissed. He looked down and then back up at Mac.

"Need help with that?" He smirked.

"You can help me later."

"What if I want to do it now?" Horatio smirked and started stroking the younger man.

"You're going to be late for work." Mac gasped.

"20 bucks says I can make you climax in less than two minutes." Horatio grinned.

"You're on." Mac smiled.

Mac later had to give his lover 20 bucks.

**-I-**

Horatio and Mac (whom was visiting) walked into the break room and saw Calleigh write up the latest baby poll bets. This one was for twins and it seemed most people believe that Mac and Horatio would get one boy and one girl.

"I work with a bunch of crazy people." Horatio muttered as he sat down by the table.

Mac sat down next to him.

"Good morning, H. How are you?" Ryan asked.

"Good morning, I'm fine." Horatio grumbled before putting his head on Mac's shoulder and closing his eyes for a second.

Alexx entered the room and gave both men a kiss on the cheek before pouring herself and Ryan some coffee.

"Mac, you want coffee?" She asked.

"No thank you."

Next to enter the room was Eric and Frank. Calleigh finished what she was doing and sat down on the other side of Horatio.

"Rough night, Horatio?" She asked.

"Yeah." Horatio yawned and lifted his head off Mac's shoulder, "So when is the goodbye party?"

Everyone glanced at Mac and wondered if he had told Horatio about the party they had planned. Mac shook his head no at them.

"You think I'm stupid? I know you guys too well." Horatio smiled, "So when is it?"

"We have no idea what you're talking about, H." Eric said and looked down at his suddenly very interesting shoes.

"Right." Horatio chuckled, "Of course you haven't planned anything."

Everyone blushed and knew they were busted, but still refused to admit that they had a party planned for their boss.

"So have you guys bought things for twins now?" Eric asked.

"Like a twin stroller, another car seat, baby swing and so on?" Frank asked.

"Yes. And a second crib." Mac smiled, "Do you realize that a pregnant man, especially with twins, is a chick-magnet?"

"Yes." Calleigh and Alexx said.

"Come on, what could be more cute then a pregnant man?" Calleigh asked, "Men like pregnant women don't they? So of course it's the other way around too."

"Sure, but we don't ogle them like candy." Mac said, "I have to fight women off with a stick when I'm out with H. They see him buying something and if I'm not there they surround him and ask for his phone number."

"Aw, is that why you have a bruise on your neck?" Calleigh asked.

"What?" Mac asked.

"Ops." Horatio smirked.

Mac gasped as he realized that his lover had left a hickey on his neck during the shower this morning as he gave given Mac a handjob. He glared at the redhead.

"If I give you your twenty dollars back will you forgive me?" Horatio whispered.

"Yes." Mac growled playfully and pulled the collar of his shirt up to hide the hickey.

The team glanced amused at each other and the couple's playful bickering.

After having coffee it was time to work. Horatio would stay in the lab to finish as much paperwork as he could before Calleigh took over. Mac was helping his lover. The team was busy with a robbery case that had turned ugly with three people dead and four injured.

**-I-**

In New York things were going slow and the team therefore had the time to plan some more on the coming baby shower. Unfortunately they wouldn't be able to participate down in Miami, but they had talked with the Miami team and agreed to send down their gifts so that the boys didn't have to wait for them until next time they either came up to New York or someone from the team came down to Miami.

"When are they planning on having this baby shower?" Don asked.

"In two week or so." Stella said, "They're trying as best as they can to not let Mac and Horatio find out, but they think Mac has figured them out already."

"Well, it is kind of hard to fool them." Danny said.

"True." Stella smiled, "Can you imagine that they're having twins?"

"And that they didn't even know about it until last weekend." Sheldon chuckled, "You should have heard how nervous Mac was on the phone last night when we talked."

"He's been nervous the whole pregnancy." Stella pointed out.

"Yeah, but now he's _really_ nervous." Sheldon said, "He said he couldn't help himself but to be overprotective of Horatio."

"Which probably doesn't sit well with him, I imagine?" Don asked amused.

"Not at all. Mac knows that it's not unusual for twins to be born early so he's constantly worrying." Sheldon said, "Although H's doctor seems to think he will almost reach his due date."

"As long as the babies aren't born before they're developed enough to breathe and such, then we shouldn't worry." Stella said.

"That's what I told him." Sheldon said.

"Any idea if they've decided to go with a c-section?" Lindsay asked.

"No, Horatio wanted to experience a natural birth." Danny said, "He knows it's going to hurt like hell, but he still wants to do it."

"I would love to see the look on Mac's face when Horatio goes into labor." Don smirked, "Can you imagine?"

Everyone stayed quiet for a while before they burst out laughing; they could easily imagine the look on Mac's face and exactly how Horatio was going to react when it was time to give birth. Poor Mac would probably get yelled at a lot. Although, no matter what Horatio said he wouldn't really mean it.

"When my mom gave birth to my oldest big brother she gave my dad a black eye." Lindsay smiled.

"Ouch." Everyone winced.

"Remind me to warn Mac about that." Danny said.

"No don't warn him. It'll only make it worse. He's nervous as it is we don't have to make it worse by pointing out that he could get a black eye, broken fingers and a broken hand." Sheldon said.

"Of if he's really unlucky a broken rib." Don said.

"How?" Lindsay asked.

"Well, I have a friend who pushed her husband out of his chair when she was having a contraction. He fell and broke his rib." Don shrugged, "I seriously doubt Horatio will do something like that though."

"Oh, can't we just tease him a little bit?" Danny asked.

"No Danny." Stella chuckled.

"Just a little, little bit?" Don joined in.

"No."

"A tiny, tiny, tiny bit then?" Sheldon asked.

"Okay." The boys sighed.

"Boys." Stella rolled her eyes, "Alright, let's go over the list of gifts we want to buy them."

**-I-**

As suspected the team had a small celebration for Horatio during lunch. Besides the team and Frank only the lab techs were there. They ate cake and gave Horatio a small parting gift in the form of a photograph of everyone in the lab and of course Frank.

"It's so you don't forget who we are." Valera joked when Horatio opened the gift.

"I would never forget you guys. Thank you." Horatio smiled.

"We do expect you to visit." Tyler smiled.

"Of course. And if Calleigh doesn't behave you could always call me." Horatio grinned.

"Hey! Why wouldn't I behave?" Calleigh gasped.

"Because you're blonde?" Ryan suggested.

"Ryan Wolfe you take that back right now or I will shoot you." Calleigh growled playfully.

"I'm more concerned about Calleigh's methods of punishment. She has a gun vault after all." Mac said.

"Exactly!" Valera laughed, "Horatio would never shoot us."

"I wouldn't either. I'd use poison." Calleigh smirked.

"Did I mention I work with crazy people?" Horatio asked Mac.

"Yes, this morning." Mac smiled.

Everyone had a great time during lunch hour. When it was time to get back to work and time for Horatio and Mac to head home, they both received hugs from everyone and everyone wished them luck too. The team would see the two men on their free time, but some of the lab techs probably wouldn't see them so often.

As Horatio and Mac were walking across the parking lot they met several cops who wished them both luck with their coming family of four. Horatio was a bit sad to go, even though he looked forward to spending every day with Mac, it was a big change in his life to spend so much time away from the lab.

"You okay?" Mac asked he drove them home.

"Yes, it just feels a bit strange." Horatio sighed, "I kind of miss the lab already."

"I know how you feel. It was the same for me when I moved down here." Mac said, "But you'll be back before you know it."

"Oh, I won't mind staying away for some time. We are going to be busy with our two bundles of joy anyway." Horatio smiled and reached over to squeeze Mac's hand.

Mac grinned and squeezed back. They had everything they had ever wanted. Each other and a family.

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	20. Chapter 20

**Thank you all very much for the reviews!**

Being pregnant with twins meant a bigger risk of pre-mature birth, but since Horatio was already 36 weeks pregnant the risk of pre-mature birth weren't as high according to Doctor Melinda Carter. Mac and Horatio had been told that it wasn't unusual for twins to be born around week 36 and Mac was acting like a nervous mother hen because of it.

It didn't make things better that Horatio was having a bad day either with a fever and a nasty stomach bug that made it nearly impossible for him to eat anything and keep it inside. Mac was watching him like a hawk and if it wasn't from being so sick and out of energy, Horatio would have most likely killed him by now.

While Horatio was asleep in the room curled up under several thick covers, Mac was talking with Danny on the phone. The young man and his girlfriend Lindsay had recently moved in with each other after discovering that Lindsay was one month pregnant with their child.

Mac was happy to be chosen as the godfather and Danny told him that they had chosen Stella as the godmother.

"It must have been a big shock for your families to hear that you're having a baby." Mac grinned.

"_Yeah, I thought my mom was going to pass out._" Danny chuckled on the other end of the phone, "_Lindsay's mom started screaming with joy and then went around and told all her neighbors that she was going to be a grandmother._"

"So much for keeping it a secret, huh?"

"_Yeah, we weren't going to tell so many people until the first trimester had ended, but after she had told everyone there was no point in keeping it a secret anymore._"

"So are you thrilled? Nervous?" Mac asked, with a smile remembering how he had felt when he had found out that Horatio was pregnant; he still felt the same.

"_Both._" Danny said, "_How are you doing by the way? Only four weeks left now._"

"I'm nervous, Danny. I have to admit that." Mac sighed, "You know it's not unusual for twins to be born early and well, I'm worried about it and worried about the amount of pain Horatio will be in."

"_Yeah, I can imagine seeing your lover in pain won't be easy._" Danny said.

Danny didn't even want to think about having to witness Lindsay being in pain during labor. He looked forward to being a father, but he was definitely scared too.

"I'm ready though. I can barely wait anymore." Mac smiled.

"_How is Horatio feeling?_"

"He's sick today."

"_Oh that's has to suck._" Danny said, "_Lindsay say's hi by the way._"

"Say hi from me too." Mac smiled, "If Horatio wasn't sick he would have probably killed me a long time ago for being so overprotective."

"_You are both very overprotective men._"

"Yeah, but being on the receiving end of it is not always fun so I can definitely understand that I'm making Horatio frustrated." Mac sighed, "He's finally sleeping though."

"_Babies keeping him awake?_"

"Yes and no, they usually do and have for several months, but this time it's his stomach bug that is keeping awake. His fever is making him tired though."

Danny and Mac talked for a while longer before hanging up. Mac sighed and listened to hear if there was any sounds in the house; there was nothing. Not even the usually alert Elvis was making noise. He was sleeping with his master in bed and when Mac went to check on Horatio he saw Elvis lying as close to his chest as possible and having a protective paw on his chin, as if trying to hug the redhead and keep him from harm.

Mac grinned and decided to watch some TV. He and Horatio had spent lots of time together since Horatio had gone on paternity leave two weeks earlier. They both enjoyed their free time very much.

**-I-**

Two days later it was a happy day for two reasons; first, the team was going over to Mac and Horatio's place for a baby shower (altgough before that the two men were being tricked into going on a shopping spree with Calleigh so that the team could prepare the shower at their house).

The second reason was that Lucas Bedford had been arrested and brought back to Miami. He had been one of the people to escape when Javier Riviera's cousin had rammed the prison bus weeks earlier. Javier Riviera had also been arrested and now only Mrs. Reardon was still free.

"Will Mac and Horatio really believe that they are going with Calleigh to go shopping?" Eric asked.

"Probably not, but they will go and let us believe that we have fooled them and will surprise them." Frank shrugged, "And that is good enough for me."

"Besides I get the pleasure of shopping." Calleigh grinned.

"Don't you have enough clothes?" Eric asked his girlfriend, "Just think about how overstuffed your closet is."

"If I buy sexy underwear will you take it back?"

"I think it's great that you get to shop clothes, Cal." Eric smiled.

Everyone chuckled as they loaded the presents (which they had hid in the lab) in to the hummers. It was both their gifts and the gifts from the New York team, whom unfortunately couldn't attend the baby shower.

"Okay, everyone ready?" Frank asked.

"Yeah, Calleigh go ahead and get the boys out of the house and the rest of us will be arriving just minutes after you leave." Alexx smiled.

"Operation baby shower is a go, I repeat, it's a go." Ryan said.

Eric chuckled and Calleigh got into her hummer.

"Driving away in four, three, two, one!" Eric exclaimed.

"Houston we have a problem." Ryan laughed.

While the two men were busy laughing, everybody else looked at them as if they had lost their minds.

"Boys will be boys." Calleigh rolled her eyes and then drove away.

"If you two idiots are done, maybe we can get a move on. Remember we have to park further down the street so we are not seen by by Mac and H." Frank said.

"Why can't we just wait for Calleigh to call and tell us that they've left?" Ryan asked.

"Because they'll know it and we only have an hour to get everything ready." Alexx said, "She can't keep them away for too long or they'll grow suspicious."

"They already are suspicious." Eric pointed out.

"Just do as we planned." Frank said.

Everyone split up into two hummers loaded with gifts and drove away from the lab.

When Calleigh arrived outside the beach house Mac and Horatio were already waiting for her. They got inside the hummer and Calleigh drove towards the mall.

"How are you doing today?" She asked.

"Good. But tell me again why you bring us with you and not Eric?" Horatio asked.

"Because I don't want Eric to see what I'm buying." Calleigh smiled, "He is going to see it later anyway."

"Oh please tell me we are not going with you to buy underwear?" Horatio said.

"No, no… well, maybe a little." Calleigh giggled, "But Eric has to suffer tonight when I try on every piece of item I buy so he can see it."

"Is that really considered suffering?" Mac asked.

"Mac, imagine how much Calleigh love's shopping and how much she can buy in only one hour." Horatio said, "That's a lot of clothes."

"And poor Eric will have to see every piece of item." Calleigh grinned.

While Calleigh and the two men were busy in the mall; the team was busy in the house trying to bring all the gifts inside the house (using Alexx's extra key to gain access to the men's home) and trying to finish the last decorations on the cake they had bought so that everyone could have a little dessert too.

**-I-**

"Explain to me why everyone considers Calleigh to be the shopaholic?" Mac asked.

Calleigh had surprisingly enough not bought very much clothes, instead the one who was leaving with the hands full of shopping bags was Horatio.

"I think this is the pregnancy hormones fault." Horatio muttered, "I never used to buy so much stuff before you knocked me up."

"Well not clothes anyway, but you'd buy books and movies all the time." Calleigh said, "So in a way you used to be a shopaholic before too."

Horatio stuck his tongue out at his blonde friend and Calleigh just laughed. All three were driving back to the Caine and Taylor resident and when Calleigh parked the hummer in the driveway Mac got a gut feeling that something was going on. He couldn't see any other cars around though (the team had hid their hummers down the street where they couldn't be seen).

"You want to come in for some coffee?" Horatio asked.

"Sure." Calleigh smiled.

Mac helped Horatio carry the shopping bags inside the house and put them in the kitchen. Horatio immidiately got busy making coffee, while Mac walked to the living room.

"Surprise!"

Mac nearly jumped out of his skin and Horatio hurried as much as he could to the living room to see what was going on. Behind them Calleigh was laughing from the sight of Mac getting startled.

"I knew it!" Mac exclaimed, "I knew something was going on and that you guys have been planning something for a few weeks now."

"Wow. You guys really bought a lot of things." Horatio said.

"Some of these gifts are from New York as well." Alexx smiled and gave both men a hug, "Everyone needs a baby shower, honey."

"This explains why you've all been huddled together before I went on paternity leave." Horatio smiled, "You've been whispering all the time and looking over your shoulders."

"And you didn't believe me when I said they were most likely planning a baby shower." Mac said.

"Well, they could have been doing something else." Horatio smiled.

"Now, you two sit down and we'll hand you the gifts so you can open them." Alexx smiled.

Mac and Horatio soon found themselves drowning in clothes, toys, books and diapers from their friends. They were given things for both boys and girls. The clothes were also in bigger sizes for when the babies got a little older and bigger.

Alexx and Calleigh took photos every minute. The last gift was a big frame with several photos in it with labels, one that was "the parents" and there sat a beautiful picture of Mac and Horatio from Mac's birthday. There also an ultrasound picture on it for "the first ultrasound."

"We decided to copy the first ultrasound picture even if you don't see the twins in it." Eric said.

The only photos missing were "newborn".

"This is made for twins, huh?" Mac asked, since there were two frames meant for pictures of the babies being newborn."

"Yes, either twins or if parents want two different pictures of their baby." Alexx smiled, "So are you happy?"

"More than happy, you really know how to surprise someone." Horatio smiled, "Thank you so much."

"Thank you." Mac grinned.

"Aw, you're welcome." Everyone smiled.

After all the presents had been opened it was time to eat cake. Mac and Horatio felt so spoiled by their friends for giving them or rather their babies, so many gifts. They couldn't ask for a better family.

Later that night when Horatio was taking a long, relaxing bath, Mac was on the phone with Stella.

"_So Horatio bought almost everything in the mall huh?_" Stella chuckled.

"Yeah, and people say _I _will be the one to spoil the babies." Mac said.

"_Well you will, but you'll wait until they're born._" Stella grinned, "_So what is it like being at home every day, just the two of you?_"

"It's great. It feels like being on vacation and yet it's this tension in the air."

"_Because of the babies, right?_"

"Yeah, I mean it's not much time left." Mac smiled, "But Horatio and I keep ourselves busy too. We've taken the time to do some little local sightseeing."

"_This makes me want to take a vacation too_."

"Stella Bonasera, take a vacation?" Mac teased, "Have the world come to an end?"

"_Very funny Mac._" Stella chuckled, "_I know I'm a workaholic, but so were you._"

"I know. Seriously though, everyone needs a vacation sooner or later."

"_I've always wanted to see Rome_."

"Horatio has been there. He says it's definitely something everyone should see."

"_I'll consider going there then._" Stella smiled.

After Mac and Stella had finished talking Mac went to check on his lover, who was still in the bath.

"Are you sleeping?" Mac asked.

Horatio was resting his head on the edge of the tub and with his eyes closed. He opened his eyes.

"No."

"Do you feel like having company?" Mac grinned.

"Can we both fit in here?"

"Probably not. I'm going out to the beach to watch the ocean… I wouldn't want to go alone." Mac teased.

Mac left and Horatio growled as he got out of the tub and soon joined his lover on the beach; where they did not watch the ocean, but rather got very busy.

_**Please review!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Mac peeked out on the back porch where his lover had been sitting for the last hour. It had all started when Horatio had snapped after dropping a piece of pie he had bought for Mac on the floor. When Mac had tried to help clean it up, the redhead had yelled at him to get out of the kitchen and leave him alone. Mac hadn't put up a fight and left his lover alone so he could calm down; he knew that Horatio was not only having a bad day because of his pregnancy hormones but because he had barely gotten any sleep during the night and he had some dull pain in his lower abdomen.

Mac thought it was a sign that the babies were on their way and Horatio probably wished for nothing more than to give birth now. He was only 12 days away from his due date and had surprisingly enough gone quite far in his pregnancy for being slightly older than most pregnant men and women, and also being pregnant with twins.

"Are you less angry now?" Mac asked.

Horatio was sitting in the hammock and he glanced at the younger man. When he nodded Mac sat down next to him and kissed his cheek.

"I know it's hard love, but it's not that long time left now." He smiled, "Besides, your abdominal pain might be a sign that the contractions will come soon."

"I hope so. Don't get me wrong it's been great to be pregnant but I'm getting sick of it now. I'm tired of waiting." Horatio sighed.

"Me too." Mac grinned, "So are you ready to go to the doctor and have another ultrasound?"

Horatio smiled and nodded. Mac stood up and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to his feet. Horatio felt like a whale and Mac had told told him many times that he looked beautiful.

**-I-**

The New York and Miami teams were also beginning to get more excited than usual about the coming birth. In New York things were crazy in the lab after Mac had told Stella that Horatio was having lower abdominal pain. She had told the team and then Adam had told everyone else and there was now a poll in the lab about when the babies would be born.

"Alright, so most people think it is time tomorrow." Adam said, "And in total we have a bet of 300 bucks."

"Adam?" Stella asked.

All the lab techs quickly left the break room. Adam (who was standing on a table with a small whiteboard on top writing down everyone's bets) jumped down from the table and smiled innocently at Stella.

"Calm down Adam, the babies might not come for another week or so." Stella said.

"But it's a bigger chance that they'll come today or tomorrow." Adam said.

"People are really impatient aren't they?" Sid asked.

"Well of course! Mac Taylor and Horatio Caine are having a baby." Adam said, "Who would have thought that those two would ever have a baby?"

"Adam?" Stella asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not that they won't be great parents just that I don't think anyone of us ever expected this to happen." Adam said nervously.

"He's right you know." Danny said.

"So you guys want to be in on the bet?" Adam asked.

"Fine, 20 bucks says the babies will be born tomorrow." Stella sighed and gave Adam the money, "Get back to work soon, please Adam."

"I promise." Adam grinned, as everyone else placed their bets too.

**-I-**

Frank was shocked to see his redheaded friend walk into the crime lab after lunch for a visit, he was about to open his mouth to comment on it when Mac shook his head no at him. Mac had already received a tongue lashing in the car from his lover for trying to stop him from visiting his team.

"Not one word Francis." Horatio said, "Not one word."

"Not even hello?"

Horatio rolled his eyes and the Texan man laughed as he patted Horatio on the shoulder.

"So what brings you here?" He asked.

"I visit. We've just been to the doctor and I just thought that Mac and I would drop by." Horatio said.

"What did the doctor say?" Frank asked, as the trio walked towards the layout room where the team was discussing a case.

"That Horatio should be in bed _resting_." Mac muttered.

"Doctor Melinda Carter might be a good doctor, but that doesn't mean I have to listen to her." Horatio mumbled.

The team was happy to see Horatio and they also wondered if he should really be visiting them right now. When Mac told them what the doctor had said Horatio pouted at his lover.

"I can't spend all day in bed. Besides if this abdominal pain is a sign that the labor will start soon I might as well walk around to make it happen a little bit faster." Horatio said, "Doctor Carter did actually say that walking might help."

"She also said that hot sauce and sex might help." Mac said, "That doesn't mean you have to do it."

"Eat hot sauce and have sex? That's new for me." Frank chuckled, "Come on Mac, you know that Horatio will do exactly the opposite of what the doctor told him. He always does."

"Well, at least I'm trying to stop him." Mac sighed, "Hey wait a minute… do I have to call Alexx to get you to go home?"

"No, I'm already here."

Horatio turned around to face Alexx who looked at him like a mother catching her child stealing cookies. Horatio blushed and Mac smiled triumphantly.

"So what _exactly_ did the doctor say?" Alexx asked.

"That Horatio should be at home resting and that it _might_ be so that the labor will start soon. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow or maybe even later." Mac said.

"I just wanted to visit." Horatio said and smiled innocently at Alexx.

Alexx sighed and hugged her oldest baby; she couldn't possibly scold him now. She could see that his was in pain and very tired.

"So what are you guys working on?" Horatio asked.

"Hey! You're here to visit not work." Alexx chided.

"A double murder." Calleigh said, "Nothing you have to worry about."

"If I promise to go home will you tell me about the case?" Horatio smiled.

Calleigh chuckled and the team told Horatio about the case. It seemed like such an interesting one that even Mac couldn't help but listen and be intrigued. Finally when the team was done Alexx and Mac forced Horatio to go home. The team could also see that the little visit had worn Horatio out more than he cared to admit.

"Alright, we're going." Horatio said, "Mac will text you as soon as something happens."

"We'll be waiting. This is like waiting for Christmas presents." Eric grinned.

"They seem even more excited about this than we do." Horatio said to Mac.

"That's because we are more worried about it." Mac said.

"Oh come on guys, we've been waiting like nine months for this." Calleigh smiled, "Well, so have you but you know what I mean."

Mac and Horatio just smiled and shook their heads as they took the elevator down to the parking lot and drove home.

**-I-**

Horatio had gone to bed the moment he come home and although he had claimed that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep he had done so in less than five minutes. Mac had stayed next to him in bed for a long time; just watched his chest rise and fall with each breath and feel the babies kick. He was trying to mentally prepare himself for the coming labor; his gut told him it wasn't far away now.

After more than an hour Mac had left the bedroom and made himself some early dinner. He had watched some TV while snuggling with Elvis and then read a book. Now Horatio had been asleep for nearly five hours and Mac was bored. He was patiently waiting for something to happen and he could feel the tension in the air.

Mac and Horatio had gotten an ultrasound picture of their babies and Mac was now looking at it as he sat on the back porch. The sun was going down and everything was quiet. He had never thought he'd be a father. After Clair had died he had thought he'd never find love again and hence never find anyone to start a family with. His job had become his entire life.  
>Now, he was expecting twins with the only man he could ever love and he had retired. His life was Horatio and their family. He had never regretted his decision to retire. He should probably thank Stella for making him realize that he had to admit his feelings for Horatio after the conference in Boston. If she hadn't talked him into it he would have continued being a lonely man in New York.<p>

Horatio would have continued being alone in Miami. They wouldn't be having children and they wouldn't have found love. Mac had never thought he'd be so grateful for going to a conference as he was about going to Boston.

It was amazing how one meeting could change your life. Mac didn't know if he believed in destiny, but maybe it was destiny or something else that had made sure that Horatio and Mac would get hotel rooms across the hall from each other, that they would have dinner together, then breakfast and end up falling in love. Ultimately it was a case in Miami that had brought Horatio to New York and by doing that also in to Mac's arms. It had most likely been love at first sight without them realizing it at first.

"Deep thoughts?"

Mac smiled and turned his head to look at his lover in the doorway. His hair was tousled and he looked like he hadn't slept at all even though he had been asleep for hours.

Horatio sat down next to his younger lover and rested his head on his shoulder.

"Just thinking about us. How life changed for both us after Boston." Mac said.

"Any regrets?"

"Yeah, that it took me so much time to admit my feelings for you." Mac smiled.

Horatio grinned and entwined his fingers with Mac's. They sat there for a while enjoying the silence and the sun going down. Horatio's stomach grumbled and he sighed.

"Is there any food available?" He asked.

"Yeah, you can reheat some pasta Bolognese that I made earlier." Mac smiled.

Horatio nodded and stood up. Mac followed him inside. While Horatio ate they watched the news and then a movie that was on the TV. When the movie was coming to an end Mac started giving Horatio a back massage.

"What time is it?" Horatio asked and moaned when Mac worked his magic on him.

"Nearly ten thirty pm."

"I don't think I'll be able to go back to sleep tonight, Mac."

"Well, we can both stay up late and watch movies and eat popcorn." Mac grinned.

"I don't want to rob your of your sleep."

"I don't think I can sleep either tonight." Mac said.

When Mac was done with the back massage he moved onto Horatio's ankles and the redhead was beginning to get very relaxed.

"Maybe a nice, hot bath will help with your pain." Mac suggested.

"It's probably worth a try." Horatio said.

Mac finished massaging Horatio's ankles and then stood up.

"You start filling up the tub and I'll get some more massage oil." Mac smiled.

Horatio smiled back and while Mac went to the guest bedroom to get the oils (they were there because they were rarely used), Horatio went to the master bathroom and started filling up the tub with water. It was nearly eleven and Horatio started taking his clothes off; he could hear Mac rummaging through the cabinets downstairs and mumbling to himself.

Horatio felt very lucky to have a man like Mac in his life; especially while he was so filled with hormones and was a very grumpy person.

When he moved to take his shirt off there was a sudden pain in his abdomen, a lot more pain than before. Horatio gasped and grabbed onto the bathroom counter.

"M-Mac!" He called out as the pain started to subside.

Mac smiled and entered the bathroom with two massage oils in his hands.

"I finally found them." He smiled and then saw Horatio surprised and pained expression, "What's wrong?"

"It's started." Horatio gasped.

_**Please review!**_


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks very much for all the reviews!**

It was the middle of the night and Horatio Caine was not a happy person. He had been having contractions every twenty to twenty-five minutes for a little more than four hours. His water hadn't broken yet either. It was 3am and as Horatio was trying to take deep breaths and handle the pain, while walking around to hopefully speed things up, Mac was on the phone with Alexx.

Mac had called the hospital, but since it was Horatio's first time and his contractions didn't last long or came very close to each other, they had told Mac that he and Horatio should stay home for now. Unfortunately it could take many, many more hours before Horatio was ready to give birth. They had told Mac how to check if Horatio was dilated, which was the same way as when you checked on a woman, and if Mac had done it right, then Horatio was barely dilated at all; another sign that it wasn't time to go to the hospital yet.

"_Mac, I could come over if you want_." Alexx said on the phone.

"Oh Alexx, I don't want to make you lose sleep; you have to work in the morning." Mac said and tried to sound as if he could handle things alone.

Alexx could hear that the man was nowhere near calm and collected. She heard Horatio groan as he got a contraction and then curse. Mac asked him to sit down, to which Horatio angrily replied that he had been told to walk around.

"_Mac_." Alexx said to get Mac's attention, "_I'm coming over. Don't worry about my beauty sleep. You guys need me there right now_."

"Okay, Alexx. Thank you." Mac sighed in relief.

He hung up and sat down on the armrest of the couch. Horatio was walking slowly around the living room table and Mac had no idea how to help. Sometimes Horatio wanted Mac to simply hold his hand and walk with him. Then suddenly he wanted Mac to leave him alone. Mac had, of course, been warned about such behavior months ago and could easily understand why Horatio reacted the way he did.

He had already chatted with several other members on an online website that he and Horatio were members on. (It was a website for pregnant men and their partners, where one could get advice and help from other pregnant men. There was also support group meetings, but Mac and Horatio hadn't attended one yet).  
>The others members told Mac to do just what the nurse from the hospital had said on the phone. They had warned him that Horatio could go on for the whole day and sometimes people were in labor for more than 24 hours. Mac hoped that Horatio wouldn't have to go through that.<p>

It seemed like an eternity before the doorbell rang and Mac opened the door for Alexx.

"Alexx, hi." Mac said nervsously.

Alexx could see the worry in Mac's eyes, but also the joy of finally being at the final stage of the pregnancy. She stepped inside the house and gave Mac a supportive hug before going to the living room where Horatio was now slumped down in the recliner. His hands were gripping the armrests tightly as he tried to breathe through a contraction.

"Deep breaths honey." Alexx said and knelt down next to the chair.

She grabbed Horatio's lower arm and talked quietly to him. Mac felt completely helpless; there was nothing he could do, yet he knew that just being there was very important for his lover.

"I am never doing this again." Horatio groaned.

He panted as the contraction faded and Alexx rubbed his shoulder.

"Oh honey, I know how you feel. But think about how all of this will be worth it in the end." Alexx smiled.

"I know it will be. I just… this part of the pregnancy really sucks." Horatio sighed.

"It sure does, baby." Alexx smiled.

"What can I do?" Mac asked.

"Bring a glass of water please, and a wet towel." Alexx said and then focused on Horatio, "You're sweating and I can guarantee that a wet, cold towel will make it a little better."

Horatio nodded and Mac went to get a glass of water and a towel.

An hour later, Horatio's water still hadn't broken and Horatio's mood had switched from frustrated to sad. He was silently crying while Mac held him. They sat on the couch with Horatio between Mac and Alexx.

"When will the water break?" Mac asked.

"Hard to say, honey. For some people it breaks before the contractions, others have to wait several hours after the first contraction." Alexx said, "Some people even have their waters break without the contractions starting."

"Really?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, if it goes on for too long they have to be induced into labor." Alexx said, as she massaged Horatio's back.

She knew how he was feeling. She had been through the same thing twice and had also switched from frustrated to sad and happy and angry. Horatio hadn't said anything for a while, only his silent crying was heard as he sniffed sometimes. His tears stained Mac's shirt and Mac kissed his head.

"How are you doing, love?" Mac asked.

"Fantastic." Horatio said.

"I'm sorry this is so painful."

"It's not your fault." Horatio sniffed, "I just really want the water to break and us to go to the hospital so I can push these babies out and be done with it."

"Me too." Mac said.

**-I-**

When Alexx arrived at work after spending the night with Horatio and Mac she was surrounded by the team. They had of course gotten texts with updates from Mac, but they knew that Alexx had been with them during the night.

"Well, his water broke six hours after the first contraction." Alexx said and poured herself some coffee.

They were all in the break room and listening intently to their medical examiner.

"They've just gone to the hospital since Horatio's contractions are now only ten minutes apart. However, the contractions have to come closer and he has to be dilated enough to give birth. I don't suspect that will be the case yet." Alexx said.

"I've been awake all night." Calleigh smiled, "I couldn't sleep when Mac texted us all after Horatio got the first contraction."

"She was checking her phone every minute." Eric said, "Just waiting for any updates."

"I suppose the New York team is just excited as we are." Ryan said.

"Yes, they are." Calleigh smiled, "I talked to Sheldon earlier. Apparently there is an update to the baby poll about when the babies are going to be born, instead of guessing which day everyone is now guessing which hour it will be. Most of them seem to think it will be around three this afternoon."

"I hope so for Horatio's sake." Frank said, "Nobody wants to keep on for too long."

"He's only three hours away from having been at it for 12 hours." Ryan said.

"Poor man." Calleigh said and the others nodded in agreement.

**-I-**

13 hours had passed since Horatio's first contraction. He was half-way dilated and his contractions were coming six minutes apart. He had been given an epidural that hadn't worked for him. He was exhausted and frustrated.

He was lying in his hospital bed and tried to relax. The doctor had hoped that the epidural would allow Horatio a few hours of sleep, but since it hadn't worked he couldn't sleep. Mac was sitting on the chair next to the bed, holding his lover's hand.

"I want to go home." Horatio said tiredly.

"I know, love. But you can't."

"I don't care. I want to go home and I want to stop being in pain."

"I wish I could take the pain away." Mac sighed, "I really do."

Horatio nodded and closed his eyes. His head fell to the side and the only indication that he was still awake was that he kept grimacing in pain with every contraction and he would squeeze Mac's hand tightly and groan.

Mac's stomach grumbled and Horatio opened his eyes.

"Go get something to eat." Horatio said.

"I don't want to leave you."

"Mac, you need to eat so that you have some energy when it's time for me to push." Horatio sighed, "I'll be fine for a few minutes."

Mac hesitated, but then stood up. He gave Horatio a kiss before he left. Horatio closed his eyes again and tried to relax. Mac hurried to the cafeteria and while he was there he also called Stella. She picked up quicker than she ever had before.

"_Mac, how is it going?_" She asked.

"Slow." Mac sighed, "The epidural didn't work either. He's exhausted and frustrated."

"_Oh, that's too bad_." Stella said, "_Did he kick you out of the room?_"

Mac chuckled, "No, he told me to get something to eat."

"_Shouldn't he eat too?_"

"Yes, but he keeps throwing up when he tries to eat. Right now, he doesn't even want to see food anywhere near him."

"_Poor guy, he's having a really tough time huh_. _I know this is tough for you too, Mac._"

"Yeah, but there is nothing I can do to help." Mac sighed.

"_You help more than you realize. You know Horatio is so grateful and happy to have you there. You give him strength_." Stella smiled.

"You're probably right." Mac said, "I need to get back to him. I'll call you later."

"_Just focus on Horatio_." Stella smiled, "_Bye Mac_."

"Bye."

Mac hung up and sighed. He ate a sandwich and had some coffee before hurrying back to Horatio's room. Doctor Melinda Carter was examining Horatio when he got there; she smiled as Mac entered the room.

"Any change?" Mac asked.

"Unfortunately no. I'm sorry to say that this is probably going to take a lot longer than we first thought." Melinda said, "The babies are fine though so that's good."

Mac nodded and sat down on the chair next to his lover's bed. He grabbed Horatio's hand and kissed his cheek. Horatio smiled gratefully at Mac.

It was going to be a long day.

**-I-**

16 hours had passed since Horatio's first contraction. He was more than halfway dilated now, but his contractions were still not coming close enough and he had to be a bit more dilated before he could push. The doctor had tried to give him another epidural to give him the chance to get some sleep, but to no avail; the epidural hadn't worked.

Eric, Calleigh, Ryan and Frank had gotten the chance to end their shift early and were enjoying each other's company at their favorite diner. Alexx had gone to the hospital earlier for a quick visit to see how the boys were doing.

"H must be so tired now. He's been going on for 16 hours." Ryan said.

"Can't he have a c-section?" Eric asked.

"He doesn't want one. Of course if too much time goes by he will have no choice." Frank said and drank some beer.

Just then Alexx arrived and she sat down next to Calleigh with a big smile.

"I never knew Horatio could curse so much." She chuckled.

"He cursed at you?" Ryan asked stunned.

"Not really. He mostly curses at Mac or the hospital staff." Alexx smiled, "I was just the same when I have birth to my children."

"How is Mac doing with it all?" Frank asked.

"He's nervous and worried about Horatio. He wishes it would be over so that Horatio can rest." Alexx said, "Their doctor, Melinda, seems quite confident that things will speed up soon, which is good."

"I can't even imagine going through labor for this many hours." Calleigh said.

"Does this mean that we're not having any babies?" Eric joked.

"No. I just admire the strength Horatio has and all other people that have to be in labor for so long or even longer." Calleigh said.

The others could only nod in agreement.

**-I-**

"This is so boring." Adam sighed, "It's taking so long."

"Imagine how Mac and Horatio are feeling." Sheldon said, "It's been 17 and a half hours now."

The New York team was gathered at a bar, waiting for any news about their friends' babies. Adam had been asking all day about any updates. Everyone knew that although Adam was nervous around babies, he did like them very much. One day Adam would be a great father.

"Last time I spoke to Mac, Horatio had almost sprained two of his fingers." Stella said.

Everyone couldn't help but to laugh at that. They knew that it was hard for Mac to wait for the babies too. Even if he wasn't doing the physical job of bringing them to the world, he was there mentally and emotionally. It was an experience that was both joyful and difficult for both parents.

"Afraid of giving birth yourself now?" Don asked Lindsay.

Lindsay was almost two months pregnant with her and Danny's child. She hoped she that wouldn't have to go through as many hours of labor as Horatio, but she wasn't afraid of giving birth.

"Maybe Mac and Horatio will let your practice with the twins later." Sheldon said, "Especially when it comes to changing diapers."

"We see dead people at work, I'm sure we can handle a dirty diaper." Danny said.

"Don't be too sure." Don said, "I heard a baby's diaper is absolutely horrible when they're newborn."

Danny and Lindsay rolled their eyes. The team loved to these them about things involving their future family of three.

When a little more than 19 hours had passed since Horatio's first contraction everyone in the New York team (and of course the Miami team as well) got a text message from Mac.

"It's time to push." Stella read out loud and then grinned," Guess it won't be long now."

**-I-**

Horatio had been pushing for thirty minutes. He never used to scream but now he couldn't help himself. He was too tired and cranky to care anyway. He just wanted the babies out now!

Mac held his hand and encouraged him to push and breathe.

"I am breathing you moron!" Horatio growled.

"Just reminding you, love." Mac smiled.

He couldn't believe it; it was finally time! They had been waiting for months and now it was finally time for the babies to come out. Horatio was pushing as hard as he could and Melinda Carter was ready to take the babies. A team of nurses stood prepared behind her as well.

"Come on, Horatio. You're doing great." Melinda said.

"It's not like I have a choice." Horatio mumbled and panted.

His head fell down on the pillow behind him and he sighed. Mac kissed his cheek and gently ran his fingers through his hair.

"You can do this." He said.

"I need to catch my breath." Horatio panted.

Mac grabbed the oxygen mask that Horatio had been using a little while previously from beside his bed and put it over his lover's mouth. Horatio hadn't thought he would need it earlier, but now it felt damn good to have it. As he got his next contraction he screamed and pushed. Melinda and Mac encouraged him to keep on.

After another fifteen minutes Horatio collapsed down on the bed and a tear made its way down his cheek. Mac understood how exhausted his lover had to be.

"I need to rest." Horatio panted.

"I wish you could love, but you have to push the babies out." Mac said.

"I'm too tired."

"You can do it. You've come this far." Mac smiled, "We're almost there."

"It's been twenty hours now. I've been in labor for twenty hours, Mac. I can't do it."

"Yes you can." Mac said, "You can do this Horatio. You know you can."

Horatio took a deep breath and nodded. He sat up and Mac squeezed his hand. As the next contraction came Horatio pushed and Melinda could finally see the head of the first baby.

"I can see the head! Just a bit more, come on." She exclaimed.

Horatio gritted his teeth and groaned. He pushed with all his strength and squeezed Mac's hand hard.

Both men froze when they heard the sound of a baby's cries in the room. A nurse quickly took the baby from Melinda for examination. Horatio and Mac glanced at each other, and then Horatio moaned as he got another contraction.

"One down, one to go." Melinda smiled, "Let's get the sister or brother out too."

Mac grinned and gave Horatio's hand a kiss as the redhead prepared to push again. The second baby went quicker and after only five minutes Melinda could see the head.

"Okay, I can see the head now." She smiled, "One more push."

Horatio let out a loud groan and collapsed on the bed, breathing and sweating heavily as their second child's cries filled the room.

"They're here." Horatio whispered.

Mac kissed him deeply and grinned. Tears were rolling down his cheek as he listened to their babies' cries. A nurse approached them with a baby wrapped in a blue blanket.

"Here's a little boy. Born at 19:03, weighing 6.8 pounds." She smiled and handed Mac his son, "Height is 19 inches."

Mac looked down at the baby in his arms. The boy looked up at him with the most amazing blue eyes.

"He has red hair." Mac grinned.

He had always wished that their babies would inherit Horatio's red hair.

"Hi, Noah." Mac grinned.

Mac handed the baby boy over to Horatio and Horatio put his finger in his little hand.

"Noah Taylor Caine." Horatio whispered.

"Here we are." Another nurse smiled and brought over a baby wrapped in a pink blanket, "Baby girl born at 19:10. 19 inches and 6.6 pounds."

The nurse placed the baby girl in Mac's arms and he smiled down at his daughter.

"Caylee Taylor Caine." He said, "Wow."

"Yeah, wow." Horatio chuckled.

**-I-**

After the babies had gone through another exam, Horatio had been examined and photos had been sent to the team, Mac and Horatio were in their private room holding their babies. As much as the teams wanted to call and even come visit them, they felt it was best to give the two men some privacy after 20 hours of labor.

Only one person was allowed to visit. None other than Alexx Woods. When she entered the hospital room she immidiately felt tears threatening to fall at the sight of Mac sitting on a chair next to the bed holding their son and Horatio sitting on the bed holding their daughter.

"It's almost midnight and you boys are still awake." She chided, "Oh look at them."

Both babies had a lot of red hair and blue eyes. Apart from that they looked like copies of Mac. Both Horatio and Mac had been looking at their own baby photos a week ago and now that they saw their twins, they recognized how much they looked just like him.

"Want to hold her?" Horatio asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Alexx smiled as Horatio handed her Caylee.

Caylee whimpered a little when she left her father's arms, but soon settled in Alexx's warm embrace. Horatio yawned and rubbed his tired eyes. He was exhausted but couldn't take his eyes off his and Mac's children.

"She's adorable." Alexx smiled, "Hi there Caylee, I'm aunt Alexx."

After a while Alexx got to hold Noah while Mac held Caylee. She only visited for a little while before she left so Mac and Horatio could catch some sleep.

It didn't take long for Horatio to fall asleep. Mac stayed awake and just watched their babies in their bassinets. He couldn't believe that he and Horatio were parents.

It felt like a dream, but if it was he didn't want to wake up.

_**Please review!**_


	23. Chapter 23

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

The twins were a little more than a day old when they were able to go home with their fathers. They were both doing fine and had proven to have strong lungs when they screamed. When they wanted something they sure let their fathers know it.

Mac was keeping an eye on the twins as they lay in their car seats. Horatio was in the bathroom. They were also waiting for Frank to drop by; he was going to Texas for a while to visit his sister and Horatio and Mac wanted him to meet the twins before he left.

When the door opened Mac looked up to see Frank in the doorway with two balloons in his hands. One blue and one pink.

"Hello there daddy." Frank grinned and handed Mac the balloons.

He then looked down at the twins; Caylee was asleep, but Noah was awake and stared at Frank.

"Hi, Frank." Mac smiled, "Meet Caylee and Noah Taylor Caine; your godchildren."

Frank looked surprised at Mac and the younger man nodded with a smile.

"I'm the godfather?"

"Yes, if you want to be." Mac grinned, "We made Stella their godmother."

"Of course I want to be." Frank smiled and then picked up Noah from his car seat.

Noah squirmed and cooed when Frank held him. Frank sat down on one of the guest chairs. Mac snapped a photo just as Horatio exited the bathroom.

"Whoa! Where's the belly?" Frank asked as he looked at his friend.

Horatio just laughed. He had lost the twin belly very quickly after birth, but there was still some extra weight which wasn't surprising given that he had given birth about 24 hours ago. Horatio didn't feel the need to rush to lose the extra weight either.

"They really let you take the babies home so early?" Frank asked, "It's only been a bit more than 24 hours ago since they were born."

"Yeah, everything with them is fine so there is no reason for us to stay much longer." Mac said.

"How are you guys feeling then?" Frank smiled, remembering how he had felt when he had become a father.

"Overwhelmed." Horatio smiled and sat down on the bed next to Mac.

"It's so surreal." Mac said, "I can't wait to see how Elvis will react."

"I'm sure he'll be really pissed that he's not the center of attention anymore." Frank smirked.

"Probably." Mac said, "But he'll get used to it."

When Noah started crying and Frank was unable to calm him down he handed him over to Horatio. Noah was not happy and didn't calm down until Horatio handed him a bottle of milk.

The milk in the bottle was substitute since men couldn't breastfeed.

It wasn't the first time Frank had seen Horatio holding a baby; he had seen Horatio hold his daughters when they were babies and Alexx's kids. He had always thought that it looked so natural for the redhead and now seeing him with his own child, he knew that it was natural for his friend to be a father.

"Want to hold the little girl? You can feed here, because she'll wake up soon." Mac said.

"Sure." Frank smiled.

Mac handed him Caylee and sure enough the little girl woke up within seconds, demanding food. Frank fed her with the bottle and Mac snapped some photos. When the babies were fed it was time to leave the hospital. The twins were placed back in their car seats and on the hospital parking lot Frank said goodbye to his friends as he had to leave for the airport.

Mac and Horatio drove home in silence and the twins fell asleep in the car.

The moment they stepped inside the house they were met by a curious ginger cat. Mac had been home earlier to feed Elvis and keep him company for a while.

"Elvis, it's time to meet our new family members." Mac smiled.

**-I-**

Unaware that he was being watched from the doorway to the bedroom, Elvis stared at the two sleeping forms on his masters' bed. One of them twitched with the leg. Elvis was suspicious. His masters had left without these two small creatures, but had just come home with them. How did that happen? And how long were they going to stay? This was his territory after all and his masters.

Carefully Elvis approached the little ones. He was unaware that Horatio was videotaping the whole thing. All he could think of was to check out the babies.

Did he really have to share his masters now?

Gently, he reached out his paw and touched Noah's head. Noah squirmed and Elvis jumped back. He waited for a while and then approached Noah again. He touched his chest with his paw and then walked over to Caylee. Carefully his paw touched her head a few times and he then sniffed her red hair.

When Elvis had decided that the two small creatures couldn't harm him he just sat there staring at them. Then he lied down on the pillow, still watching them. Horatio stopped recording and grinned.

"You better get used to them Elvis because they're here to stay." He smiled.

Mac joined his lover with two plates of chicken salad in his hands. The two men didn't have the will to leave their bundles of joy alone, so they sat down on the edge of the bed and ate their food.

"Can you believe that they're here?" Horatio asked, "No more late mornings and uninterrupted nights."

"Oh the joy." Mac chuckled.

Horatio grinned and gave his lover a kiss on the cheek. It felt surreal to suddenly have their twins at home, but they wouldn't change it for anything in the world. They already loved it. The twins were absolutely adorable and so far synchronized; they ate at the same time and slept at the same time. Caylee seemed to sleep slightly longer than Noah, but they were still well synchronized.

**-I-**

Mac and Horatio were both on cloud nine and it was hard for them to do anything but just hold and watch the twins. They were sitting on the back porch later in the evening; Mac was holding Noah and Horatio was holding Caylee. Elvis was close by, lying on the table. He almost seemed a little jealous that the twins took his masters time and attention. Yet, he was very curious about the babies and could barely leave them alone.

"They really look like you." Horatio said, as he looked at a baby photo of Mac, while comparing it to Noah and Caylee.

"Yes, apart from the red hair and blue eyes." Mac smiled, "I wonder if they got your temper though."

"My temper?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah. You know what people say about redheads and their mood." Mac grinned, "They're probably going to grow up to become quite tall too. None of us are short."

"Do you hope that the red hair stays as they grow older?"

"Oh yes." Mac smiled, "I have a weakness for redheads and besides, it sets them apart from everyone else."

Caylee started to whimper slightly and she opened her eyes to look at her daddy. Horatio grinned at her.

"Hi there baby girl." He said.

Caylee kicked with her legs before closing her eyes again. Horatio held her close to his chest so she could hear his heart beat. It seemed that both babies relaxed when they heard their fathers' heart beats. They could be crying loudly, but as soon as they heard their fathers' heart beats they relaxed and went quiet.

"We should take them for a stroll in the park." Horatio smiled, "I want to move around a little anyway."

Mac nodded. They got the twins dressed and down in the twin stroller that they had bought. The twins didn't wake up and Mac and Horatio held hands while just walking around. A few people asked them how old the twins were.

They then ran into Eric's parents; his mother Raquel and his father Pavel. Last time Eric and Horatio had met them was in the mall when Horatio had been just 17 weeks pregnant.

"We heard from Eric that you had the babies yesterday." Raquel smiled, "They look adorable."

"It was a long labor, no?" Pavel asked.

"20 hours." Mac said.

Pavel looked stunned and patted Horatio on the shoulder, "Good work getting through it. I remember when Marisol was born and Raquel thought that six hours was pure hell."

"It always depends on what you compare it with." Raquel said.

The four of them chatted for a while before Raquel and Pavel had to get moving home. Mac and Horatio went in the other direction to continue their walk in the park.

When they got home it was time for some food for the twins. Elvis ran and hid under the bed the moment the twins started screaming. Holding one baby each Mac and Horatio fed them their bottles and then rocked them to sleep.

It was a dream come true for both men to finally have children.

_**Please review!**_


	24. Chapter 24

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Stella opened her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. She was sleeping in a double bed in what used to be Horatio's home office, but was now the guest room since the original guest room was the nursery for the twins; although at the moment they were still sleeping in their cribs in their fathers' bedroom. She was visiting Miami for the weekend and Mac and Horatio had refused to let her pay for a hotel when they had a room she could use.

Stella yawned and stretched her body before getting out of bed and putting on some clothes. She freshened up in the guest bathroom and then walked down the stairs. She heard a muffle conversation coming from the kitchen and she entered it. She smiled when she saw Mac walking around with Caylee and feeding her with a bottle; he was talking to her and she was cooing back at him. Noah was asleep in the babysitter on the floor. It seemed like Caylee was the most active of the twins, while Noah preferred to do nothing. Mac turned around and smiled at Stella. She was the twins' godmother, while Frank was their godfather.

"Good morning." Mac grinned.

"Good morning to all of you." Stella smiled.

She wasn't used to see Mac hold a baby, but it was an adorable sight and he looked like he had been doing it for years rather than just five days.

"Where's Horatio?" She asked.

"Sleeping. He was up during the night several times with Caylee because she wouldn't stop screaming, so I thought I'd let him catch some sleep now." Mac said, "Is pancakes good for breakfast?"

"It's great." Stella smiled.

Mac handed Caylee over to her while he started making breakfast. Stella small talked to her goddaughter and Caylee cooed at her.

"Yes, you are such a pretty redheaded girl, aren't you?" Stella smiled, "So cute and bubbly. When you grow up you will have boys chasing after you wherever you go."

"No boys are coming near her." Mac muttered.

"Well, she could get girlfriends too." Stella shrugged, "And Noah will probably grow up to be a charmer, chasing after girls… or boys if that is what he wants."

Mac chuckled and shook his head. The last five days had been so surreal. He and Horatio had realized it would take quite a while before they were used to having babies. They loved to spend every minute they could with them and if you could spoil a child with love, then Noah and Caylee would definitely be spoiled with it.

"When is the team coming over?" Stella asked.

"Around two."

The Miami team, minus Frank whom was in Texas visiting family and had already met the twins, were coming over for some coffee and dessert and to see the twins. Stella had gone to Miami alone because Sinclair hadn't let the whole team take time off to come down. Instead, the New York team was flying down in a few weeks to visit.

When Mac was finished with breakfast he moved to take Caylee from Stella so she could eat, but Stella shook her head.

"I can manage. I don't want to let her go." Stella smiled.

Mac smiled and joined his friend by the table. They started eating, but it wasn't long until Noah started whimpering. Mac picked him up, but Noah didn't calm down.

"He's a daddy's boy for sure." Mac smiled as Noah kicked with his legs and whined.

"Which daddy?" Stella asked.

"Daddy H." Mac smiled, "Horatio and I have a theory that Noah likes the sound of Horatio's voice and therefore likes to be held by him."

"So if Horatio doesn't talk then Noah still cries?"

"Absolutely. But as soon as H starts talking Noah just goes quiet." Mac said, "I think Noah is like me that way; I find Horatio's voice very soothing as well."

"Thank you."

Mac and Stella looked at a very tired Horatio in the doorway. Mac handed Noah over to the redhead and as soon as Horatio started talking to their son he calmed down.

"Good morning." Horatio yawned after talking to Noah and sat down by the table.

Mac and Stella said good morning and then Mac handed Horatio a plate with pancakes. Horatio ate while making sure to keep talking to Noah.

"Last night I had to talk all the time." Horatio said, "As soon as I went quiet for five seconds he started whimpering."

"I have a feeling he's definitely going to be daddy H's boy." Mac smiled.

It didn't matter for neither Mac nor Horatio if Noah grew up to be daddy Horatio's boy and Caylee grew up to be daddy Mac's girl. They knew that their children already loved them both.

"Oh god, is that the smell of a dirty diaper?" Stella asked, after everyone had finished breakfast.

"Yes, and I believe that as godmother you have diaper duty?" Mac smirked.

Stella stuck her tongue out at him before standing up and going to the master bathroom with Caylee. She lied the baby down on the changing table just as Mac joined her.

"I was only kidding, Stella."

"Nonsense. I want to do it. It is my duty as godmother." Stella smiled and then grimaced at the smell.

Mac grinned and showed Stella where the diapers were. He told her that she was lucky to be changing on Caylee and not Noah; simply because Noah had yet to pee on anyone and nobody wanted to be the first one he did it on.

"I don't know how you guys manage to do this in the middle of the night without getting peed on or putting on the diaper the wrong way." Stella said.

"It's starting to become an automatic thing for us." Mac shrugged.

Caylee cooed the whole time Stella changed her. They could hear Horatio talking to Noah from the living room about airplanes; it was only one of the many, many subjects Horatio had talked to Noah about.

"Is he explaining to Noah how to get out if a plane crashes in the ocean?" Stella giggled.

"Yep. Yesterday he told Noah about baking cupcakes and how to make your own lemon juice." Mac smiled.

Stella laughed and with a new diaper on Caylee, the exited the bathroom and joined Horatio in the living room.

**-I-**

The Miami team had come over for some coffee and said hi to the twins. The twins had slept most of the time, but then Caylee had woken up and thrown up on none other than Ryan Wolfe.

Ryan stood up and kept on holding the baby girl as her stomach content made its way down his back (he had been holding her with her head on his shoulder).

"I think I have a shirt you can borrow while we wash yours. Horatio can find one for you." Mac said and took his daughter from Ryan.

The young CSI nodded gratefully and while everyone was busy giggling he walked to the guest bathroom and took his shirt off. He hadn't gotten anything on his hands, but because of his OCD he felt the need to wash his hands anyway. Horatio started rummaging through his and Mac's shirts to find something Ryan could borrow and then went to his young friend to give him the shirt.

"Good girl." Eric teased, "You hit the jackpot."

"Eric." Calleigh chided.

She was holding Noah and the baby goy was busy kicking with his legs and arms. Calleigh smiled down at the boy and Stella snapped some photos.

"Makes you want to have your own child, huh?" She asked.

"Definitely." Calleigh grinned.

Everyone looked at her and Calleigh shrugged.

"What? We've talked about it, Eric and I." She blushed, "He's just so cute."

"Well, if you have a baby it's for a longer time than when they're newborn." Alexx reminded the young woman.

"It has to be an amazing feeling watching your child grow up, though." Stella said.

"I don't want our kids to grow up." Mac said.

"Why not?" Eric asked.

"Because then they'll get old enough to date, drive cars, drink and who knows what trouble they can get in? And then they'll move out." Mac sighed sadly.

Everyone chuckled at him. Ryan and Horatio came back to the living room; Ryan was wearing one of Mac's shirts and he smiled as he sat down next to Mac and looked at Caylee.

"You want children, Wolfe?" Eric asked.

"Don't know. I like them and they're cute. But it's a big decision." Ryan said.

"Well, I'm taking Noah home with me." Calleigh grinned.

"You have to fight with me over him first." Stella smirked.

"Bring it on." Calleigh laughed.

"Anyone want to take Caylee home with them?" Horatio asked.

"Me!" Alexx smiled.

Everyone chuckled and then Mac gave Caylee to Eric and started taking photos of everyone holding their babies. Horatio and Mac felt really lucky to have such a wonderful group of people around them and were grateful to be able to call them family.

When the twins wanted food Eric was happy to feed Caylee her bottle while Stella fed Noah.

"You really lost your pregnancy belly quick, Horatio." Calleigh said, "It feels so weird watching you now that you don't have a big belly anymore."

"I still got some extra weight I could lose, but I'm not rushing to do it." Horatio said, "It feels weird for me too. Kind of makes me wish that I was pregnant again."

"When you were pregnant you used to complain that the belly was in the way and now you want it back." Mac pointed out.

"You could always get pregnant again." Ryan said.

"Yeah, it reminds me; how do you make sure that you don't get pregnant again anytime soon?" Stella asked.

"Male birth control pills." Horatio said, "They work like female pills, but with fewer side effects."

"Besides men are not allowed to have sex for at least six weeks after labor, right?" Alexx asked.

"Correct." Mac said, "But we're not planning to have any more children. Not for a few years anyway, after that we'll see what happens."

"If you ever get tired of these two we can take them." Eric smiled.

He had to admit that now that he was holding Caylee he was starting to feel some paternal instincts inside. He and Calleigh had talked about having children before, but decided to wait. They didn't feel the need to rush and as Ryan had said; it was a big decision. Once you had children you had to take care of them for a long time. It was not something you could take lightly and one couldn't choose which days they wanted to take care of their child and which days they didn't.

"Have you guys thought about a wedding or christening?" Ryan asked.

"Well, we want to christen the twins before we get married." Mac said.

"We don't feel the need to rush to the altar." Horatio said, "But we'll start planning the twins christening soon."

"Whoa!" Eric exclaimed.

He had looked at a photo of a baby and realized that the quality of the photo meant that it was too old to be of Noah or Caylee. He realized it had to be Mac or Horatio.

"Who is that?" He asked, nodding towards the photo.

"That's me when I was two days old." Mac smiled.

He and Horatio had already seen how much Caylee and Noah looked like Mac. They were exact copies of him, apart from the red hair and amazing bottomless blue byes, which they got from Horatio.

"Wow. They sure got everything besides the hair and eyes from you." Calleigh said.

"They sure did." Alexx agreed, "I remember how my daughter looked like my husband too. They still do except she's a girl of course and has more feminine looks, but she still resembles him."

"Yes, I think as they grow older it will be much easier to see the resemblance between Noah and Mac for obvious reasons." Horatio said.

Everyone nodded in agreement. It was a while later that everyone (except Stella of course) went home. Alexx told Horatio to send her the photos that had been taken during the day and he promised to send them to everyone.

**-I-**

Calleigh and Eric had been snuggled up on the couch when the worrying news came on the TV. Now they stared at the TV screen as an all too familiar picture was shown.

"She's coming back." Eric growled.

The reporter said that Missus Lacey Reardon, whom had escaped from the prison bus together with Lucas Bedford and Javier Riviera months earlier, had been spotted in Orlando. Eric and Calleigh knew that it meant that Mrs. Reardon was on her way back to Miami to finish what she had started.

It also meant that Horatio's life was in great danger. He was the object of her hatred, but with the twins now born she could use them and Mac to hurt him.

Calleigh picked up her phone and dialed Horatio and Mac's home phone number. As much as she hated to spoil their mood by bringing bad and worrying news, she knew she had to. Horatio and Mac had to know that Mrs. Reardon was coming back; if she hadn't already reached Miami.

In the Caine and Taylor household the twins were given a bath and when the phone rang Stella answered it. She called Horatio's name.

"We have to switch places." Horatio said to her.

While Stella took his place by the tub, bathing Caylee, Horatio went to the phone in the hallway. He sounded so cheerful and Calleigh hated the fact that she would ruin that.

"_Hi Horatio, it's Calleigh_."

"Hi, Calleigh. What's going on?"

"_Horatio I have some bad news. Eric and I just watched the news and…_"

"Yes?" Horatio said, starting to worry.

"_Mrs. Reardon was spotted in Orlando four hours ago._"

Horatio felt his blood run cold and he froze. He just stood in the hallway holding the phone in his hand while Calleigh called his name. Mac and Stella had finished giving the twins as bath and as they came out to the hallway they looked confused at the redhead.

"What's going on?" Mac asked.

He grabbed the phone from his lover and went pale when Calleigh told him about Mrs. Reardon.

"What is it?" Stella asked.

Mac talked for a while with Calleigh and then they hung up. He guided Horatio to the couch and went to take the twins to their cribs before he sat down next to his lover. Stella sat down on the other side.

"Mrs. Reardon is back." Mac growled, "She's been spotted in Orlando, but could already be in Miami."

"What the hell is she doing back?" Stella asked and was grateful that she had brought her gun with her in case she would need it.

"She wants to kill me." Horatio mumbled.

"She is getting nowhere near you." Mac and Stella said in unison.

"She's coming back to finish me off." Horatio sighed.

"We can get police protection and we have friends that can help protect you." Mac said, "She is getting nowhere near you."

"She could go after you and the twins. You should live somewhere else until this is all over." Horatio said.

"No. I am not leaving you alone. If she is stupid enough to go after you, me or our children then she will find herself dead very soon." Mac growled.

"We will make sure that she can't get to you." Stella said.

Horatio stood up and walked to the bedroom where the twins were starting to fall asleep. Mac sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Mac, she won't get to him or you." Stella said.

"Damn that woman! Why couldn't she just stay away?" Mac growled.

"Well she just made a mistake coming back." Stella said, "We'll catch her."

Mac nodded. Missus Reardon had made a big mistake; one that would probably cost her her life. If she came within millimeters of Horatio or their babies then Mac would kill her. He swore to himself to not let Mrs. Reardon get close to his family.

_**Please review!**_


	25. Chapter 25

**Thanks very, very much for the reviews!**

The only ones from the New York team that hadn't been able to fly down to Miami to visit Mac and Horatio were Sid and Adam. Sid was on a second honeymoon with his wife in Europe and Adam was at a conference about audio and video processing in Canada.

The twins were already a month old and it felt like the time had just flown by for Horatio and Mac. In a way that saddened them; they wanted their children to grow up of course, but it was also hard to accept that it happened so fast.

Sheldon was holding Caylee, while Danny was holding Noah. Everyone teased him that it was good training for him since he was going to be a father in six months. Lindsay was three months pregnant with her and Danny's first child.

"So are you used to being parents now?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah. And our sleeping schedule is almost the same as when we used to work. I never realized that being retired could make you forget what it was like waking up in the middle of the night after only a few hours of sleep." Mac said.

"Mostly I have to get up though, because Noah refuses to calm down when Mac holds him." Horatio said.

"He is definitely your little boy." Mac grinned.

Noah seemed to love Sheldon too because when Sheldon had first held him he had been cooing and smiling at him the whole time. When Sheldon had then handed him over to Danny, the boy had stopped making sounds and just stared at Danny.

"I'm you Uncle Danny." He grinned, "Your sister smiled at me, you want to smile at me too?"

Noah glanced towards his fathers and Danny chuckled.

"I think he needs to change his diaper." Don said and grimaced at the smell.

"Well, Danny, ready to try it?" Mac asked.

Danny smiled and stood up with Noah in his arms. Everyone secretly hoped that Danny would get peed on by the boy too. Noah had still not peed on anyone and just because Danny was a father-to-be everyone felt a little evil and wanted him to experience it.

Sheldon handed Caylee over to Lindsay and the little girl made baby noises. She kicked with her little arms and legs and glanced at Horatio.

It had felt really weird for everyone to see pictures of Mac and Horatio holding the babies (Mac and Horatio had sent pictures to them every week), but they were quickly getting used to it. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that they were going to be great fathers.

"I can't wait to have my own little bundle of joy." Lindsay smiled.

Nobody mentioned Missus Lacey Reardon because they didn't want to ruin the mood. They already knew from Mac that Horatio was worried and had trouble sleeping because of nightmares. There were two uniformed officers outside the home at all times and they also followed Mac and Horatio wherever they went. They went for a walk in the park every evening and one of the officers was always walking a few feet behind them, while the other one drove around the park keeping an eye out for Mrs. Reardon.

Both Mac and Horatio tried to relax and not think about the mad woman, but it was hard.

"Are you going to find out what you're having?" Horatio asked.

"Yeah, we decided that we couldn't wait." Lindsay smiled.

The sound of Mac's laughter echoed through the house and he came walking into the living room, holding Noah and laughing so hard that he had tears running from his eyes.

"Jackpot!" He smirked.

"He peed on him?" Don asked.

"Yep, our son hit him right on the chest." Mac grinned and sat down next to his lover.

He handed Noah over to Don, who was a little nervous to hold a baby, but Noah seemed to like him at first. Just as Danny came out with a shirt that he had borrowed from Mac, Noah started whimpering and his lower lip quivered while tears ran from his eyes.

"Oh, you don't like me." Don smiled, "That's okay. I will still give you Christmas gifts."

Noah kicked with his legs and when Don failed to calm him down, he handed him over to Sheldon, which seemed to do the trick. Noah stopped whimpering and his eyes started to close.

"Damn, he's going to be Uncle Sheldon's boy from now on." Horatio joked.

Sheldon grinned, "That's right. I'm the new favorite in town."

When Caylee and Noah had fallen asleep they were put down in their cribs and Mac ordered some pizza. Everyone sat on the back porch and talked while enjoying their meal.

"So how many nurses did Horatio scare during the labor?" Don asked with a smirk.

"None. They were more worried that he was going to kill me." Mac said.

"I wasn't that bad was I?"

"You have no idea. But it's understandable." Mac smiled, "One minute you were happy, the next you were either in tears or angry. I've never heard you curse so much in the years we've been together."

"So you must be very happy then that I'm no longer under the influence of pregnancy hormones?" Horatio asked.

"Absolutely. No more driving to McDonalds in the middle of the night because you want hamburgers; within a week I had become a regular in that place." Mac said.

"What can I say? I needed those goddamn hamburgers and when I need something I need it quick." Horatio grinned innocently.

"You can get away with a lot things when you're pregnant." Lindsay said, "And people will be so nice to you all the time too."

"Exactly." Horatio grinned.

"Well, the first time you started crying because your favorite TV show wasn't going to air on TV I was so stunned." Danny said to his girlfriend, "You had never reacted like that before and then suddenly you were crying and could barely tell me what was wrong because you were hysterical and sad."

Everyone laughed as Lindsay blushed.

"Pregnancy hormones." She smiled innocently, "It's all I can say about it."

Danny chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

**-I-**

It was later in the evening and the New York team had gone back to their hotel. The twins had been fed and were now watching each other from their babysitters in the living room. Mac was making some late night snack when Horatio sneaked up behind him and wrapped his arms around him.

"Hi." He smiled and buried his face in Mac's neck.

"Hello there." Mac grinned and turned around in Horatio's arms, "What can I do for you?"

"You can enjoy my touch." Horatio whispered.

He slid his hand against the inside of Mac's thigh and smirked when he heard his lover swallow hard. Mac instantly felt his member harden and he gasped when Horatio caressed him through his jeans.

Horatio kissed Mac's neck and slowly unbuttoned his jeans. His hand slid inside the younger man's boxers and Mac moaned when he felt Horatio's hand rub against his hardening length.

"Love, the babies-"

"Are perfectly okay for a few minutes." Horatio whispered.

Mac moaned and watched as Horatio got down on his knees. Horatio pulled his lover's boxers and jeans down enough to free his stiff shaft. Pre-cum was glistening at the head of his erection and Horatio licked it off; making Mac gasp loudly.

"Uh, please more."

Horatio grinned and enveloped the head of Mac's straining manhood. He sucked and swirled his tongue around his sensitive slit and glans.

"Oh, Horatio!"

Mac grabbed a fistful of his lover's hair and started to slowly thrust into his mouth. Horatio felt his own erection straining in his pants, but he ignored it. He wanted only to please Mac now.

As Mac started thrusting, Horatio enveloped his whole length and felt it throbbing against his tongue. They were allowed to have sex as long as Mac was the one being penetrated, but they hadn't had it yet. Horatio had to wait another two weeks before he was allowed be topped by Mac.

"Ah, oh love!"

Mac closed his eyes and Horatio grabbed onto his buttocks to keep him steady as he got a good rhythm. His teeth gently graced his lover's shaft and his tongue swirled around him.

Horatio hummed and moaned; he loved the feeling of Mac's member on his tongue and in his mouth. He could taste Mac's pre-cum and could feel Mac tense his body; he knew his lover was close now.

"Horatio, uh yes!"

Mac tensed with his whole body; all the way from his toes and up. He started thrusting faster and his knees buckled slightly when Horatio's hands started fondling his balls.

"Uh, god yes!"

Horatio smiled and gently nipped at Mac's shaft; making the younger man cry out and climax. Mac's legs were shaking and he kept on thrusting throughout his orgasm. His grip on Horatio's hair tightened and he gasped and moaned. Horatio swallowed everything Mac had to give and then continued sucking him until his length had gone soft.

He stood up and gave Mac a passionate kiss.

"What did that come from?" Mac panted.

"Just felt like doing it." Horatio shurgged.

"You need help with that?" Mac asked and eyed the hard bulge in Horatio's pants.

"Later, when the twins are sleeping." Horatio whispered and then left the kitchen as Mac pulled his boxers and jeans up.

Mac shook his head amused and smiled before joining his lover in the living room.

**-I-**

Lacey Reardon stepped out on the streets of Miami. She was wearing a hooded shirt and jeans. Nowhere near the classy clothes she usually wore, but due to the situation she was in she couldn't wear anything else. She had to be as invisible as possible or else she would be arrested by the police. She had already seen a picture of herself all over the news.

She had a perfect plan though. She was going to get her revenge on Horatio Caine; and she was going to make sure that he suffered before she killed him. Then she would leave the country and settle down somewhere else, maybe Bahamas. She had a lot of money left from before she had been arrested and she had money from her husband too. She also had a plan regarding her dear husband. She couldn't get him out of her mind. She could only think of two people; her husband and Horatio. The one she loved and the one she hated more than anything in the world.

Oh, how she hated Horatio and his team. She knew he had two babies now; twins. And she knew how to use them to get to him. All she wanted from Horatio was to hear his agonizing screams as he suffered and to feel the life leave his body by her hands.

Horatio Caine's days were numbered. All she had to do now was to start planning everything in perfect detail and require some tools and a place to hide. Then she could get her revenge.

Mac Taylor would become a single parent soon and Mrs. Reardon wouldn't allow anything or anyone to stop her from completing her mission.

_**Please review!**_


	26. Chapter 26

**AN: Response to the reviewer named "****Reader Revolution": **

**Let me start with saying that I respect your opinion and I understand why you think so.**

**However, this is just **_**fiction**_**. That's what is so great about fiction; you can make up **_**anything**_**, including mpreg. But if you don't like this, don't read it; it's a simple as that. If one looks up the definition of fiction it says:** _A literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact_. **Of course, fiction can be both realistic and non-realistic; which is why I personally like fiction. **

**So yes, people can write about mpreg because it's only in the imagination. I am well aware that it would never happen on the show, but neither would things like; the characters being in a gay couple, being vampires, have supernatural powers or even get hurt in the way the way some people (including myself) write in stories, or even some of the pairings would never happen. But it's just imagination, that's why fiction is fun.**

_**Again, if you don't like male pregnancy stories then don't read it. I respect your opinion though. **_

**-I-**

_**Thanks a lot for the reviews!**_

The time without concern was definitely over. Horatio had received three death threats in just four days, all of them from Missus Lacey Reardon. She always sent her letters in envelopes marked with a sticker; a sticker in the shape of gun. So when Horatio picked up the mail while carrying one month old Caylee, he knew exactly who the letter with the sticker was from.

He tried not to let it affect him, but it was becoming harder and harder. Noah and Caylee could sense that something was wrong and had started acting almost nervously or worried. As if they knew that their father was marked for death by a crazy woman.

Mac tried to keep Horatio's mind off it, but he failed a bit. Not surprisingly Horatio was mostly inside the house. He rarely went out; especially not with the twins. Even though they had police protection he had become afraid to leave his own home. Horatio didn't scare easily, but everyone knew that he wasn't afraid to lose his life, not to the extent that he was afraid to lose Noah, Caylee or Mac.

Horatio dropped the mail on the kitchen table and chose to ignore it for now. He was busy taking care of Noah and Caylee by himself while Mac was grocery shopping. Horatio played with his son and daughter for a while, until he noticed that they were getting tired. Once they were in their cribs, he watched them until they fell asleep. They were now sleeping in the nursery upstairs instead of in Horatio and Mac's bedroom.

When they had fallen asleep Horatio went to the kitchen and picked up the letter from Mrs. Reardon. It was the same as before; she was threatening his life and reminding him that his days were numbered.

_You're days are numbered_

_I will be coming for you_

_Nothing or no-one can stop me_

_Prepare to die_

Horatio knew that he hadn't done anything to deserve this. He hadn't done anything wrong. Mrs. Reardon's husband had been convicted of murdering their maid; he had even confessed. Still Mrs. Reardon believed that Horatio and his team had done something wrong; that it was their fault that her husband was now in jail. They had only done their job, but she couldn't see that. She had almost killed Horatio and Mac by crashing into their car when Horatio had been 25-weeks pregnant. It felt like eternity ago.

She had been missing for months after escaping from the prison bus. Now she was back in Miami to finish what she had started; to kill Horatio.

**-I-**

Sometimes Mac wondered if he was being watched. It wouldn't surprise him if Missus Reardon was following him, hoping to see Horatio with him. Mac hated the fact that she had made Horatio so worried and too afraid to even step out of the house. He and Horatio had looked forward to many walks in the park, to go grocery shopping together with the twins, buy things in the mall to them; things any other family did. Mrs. Reardon was stealing that from them and it made Mac furious.

"If you grip that cart any harder it might break."

Mac released his grip on the shopping cart; not realizing he had been holding it so tight. He turned around to face Ryan.

"Hey Ryan." He said.

"Hey Mac." Ryan smiled, "How are you and Horatio doing?"

"We're doing as well as we can."

Ryan nodded. The team had of course noticed the change in both Horatio and Mac's mood. Horatio rarely smiled anymore and he was constantly looking over his shoulder. Mac was angry, he snapped at people and none of the men got much sleep. This was supposed to be one of the happiest times in their lives, yet they were walking on egg shells just waiting for something to happen.

"I want it to be over." Mac sighed, "I either want her arrested or dead."

"I agree." Ryan said.

"What are you doing here then? This is the opposite side of town where you live." Mac said confused.

"Well, I was kind of making sure nothing happened to you." Ryan said, "The Chief had asked for civilian cops to follow you and Horatio around."

Mac looked surprised and glanced around the store, seeing several people looking at him with earphones and trying to behave as if they weren't actually following him. He had been too busy with his thoughts to notice them. The cops were dressed casually and some were even pretending to shop as a couple. One of the cops had a stroller with what Mac guessed was just a baby doll.

"Should you really be talking to me then?" Mac asked.

"Well, since I'm a friend it wouldn't look weird if we talked; in case Mrs. Reardon is watching."

"True." Mac smiled, "I can't believe I missed that I was being followed."

Ryan chuckled and patted Mac on the shoulder.

"There are civilian cops walking past your house every day too. It's only been going on for three days though." Ryan said.

"Remind me to thank you all when the case is over."

"No need. You and Horatio would do the same for us." Ryan smiled, "I'll let you get back to your shopping, while I pretend to be leaving in case Mrs. Reardon is watching."

"Alright. See you later Ryan."

"Take care, Mac."

Mac waved as Ryan left. He felt much more relieved knowing that he had protection wherever he went. He wasn't sure if Mrs. Reardon was smart enough to notice all the civilian cops.

**-I-**

As clever as Elvis was he had his idiotic moments too. In an attempt to find out what was at the bottom of a glass vase (which was empty because it was supposed to be thrown away), Elvis stuck his head inside it and got stuck.

Horatio found his beloved cat in the kitchen desperately trying to get his head out of the vase. He grabbed the ginger animal and tried to pull the vase off; but it didn't work.

"How do you even succeed to do this?" Horatio sighed.

Horatio held onto Elvis's body with one hand, while using the other to pull the vase off carefully so not to hurt the cat. It was how Mac found them when he came home with his hands full of grocery bags. Horatio looked at him when his lover entered the kitchen and put the bags on the table.

"Don't ask." He said, "I have no idea what the hell he was doing."

"Being curious again." Mac shrugged, "We're going to have to use water to get him out."

"He's a cat."

"Yeah, but it's the only way." Mac said, "It makes it slippery so we can pull the vase off him."

"He's going to hate us after this." Horatio said and carried Elvis to the bathroom.

Elvis meowed and meowed and meowed; his claws dug into Horatio's arm when he felt the first drops of water touch his fur. Mac grinned as Horatio hissed in pain and poured some more water around Elvis's neck.

"Stupid cat." Horatio growled.

Elvis desperately tried to get away from the water and his masters, but Horatio's firm grip kept him in place. Finally, after five minutes Mac could pull the vase off Elvis's head and the ginger cat ran out of the bathroom like a speeding bullet.

"You're bleeding." Mac said and grabbed a towel to put over the wounds made from Elvis's claws.

"Of course I am! That little shit held on to to me for dear life." Horatio snapped.

Mac looked at his lover and then pulled him in for a kiss. He could feel Horatio shaking as he tried not to cry. They pulled apart ond Mac hugged his lover.

"She won't get to us." Mac said referring to Mrs. Reardon, "I promise you that."

"I want it to be over." Horatio whispered.

"It will be."

"Mac?"

"Yes, love?"

"Make love to me."

Mac pulled away from Horatio slightly and looked at him with sad eyes. They still had to wait two more weeks before they were allowed to have sex (they could only have it if Mac was the one being penetrated).

"I can't." Mac sighed.

"No, I know, but… just do something, please." Horatio pleaded.

Mac nodded and pinned his lover against the bathroom counter. He knew how badly Horatio needed some release. He grinded his hips against the older man and felt his hardening bulge press against him. Mac deepened the kiss while unbuttoning Horatio's shirt. He ran his hands over his abs and chest; making sure to pinch the redhead's nipples to.

When they parted for air Mac kissed Horatio's neck while his hand slipped inside his jeans and boxers. Horatio gasped and arched his back when he felt Mac's hand wrap around his erection; stroking him slowly.

With his free hand Mac unbuttoned Horatio's jeans and pulled them down together with his boxers.

"Uh, Mac." Horatio moaned and closed his eyes.

Mac got down on his knees and continued stroking his lover's rigid shaft, while his free hand fondled his balls.

Horatio grabbed a fistful of Mac's hair and started thrusting in his hand. Mac smiled and enveloped the head of the erection only; his lips barely touching Horatio.

"Ah, god Mac!"

Horatio's knees buckled slightly and he braced himself against the counter. Mac slowly let Horatio's shaft slide into his mouth; inch by inch. His tongue swirled around the sensitive skin and his teeth gently nipped at him as he enveloped Horatio's whole length. Horatio's body tensed and his grip on Mac's hair tightened.

"Mac!"

Mac looked up at Horatio and let his hands slide up towards his nipples. He started caressing his lover's chest while letting his throbbing length slip almost all the way out before he took it as deep inside his mouth as he could again. He kept going slowly and Horatio kept trying not to thrust.

"Love, uh god!"

Mac moaned and hummed, knowing full well that the vibrations of his voice made Horatio squirm with pleasure. His tongue ran over his lover's slit to taste his pre-cum. Horatio gasped and arched his back. He could feel his climax coming closer.

"Uh, I'm so c-close!"

Mac closed his eyes and started sucking faster, while Horatio started to gently thrust. Mac let his hands caress his lover's chest and abs, while his tongue and mouth pleasured Horatio in other ways.

"Uh, yes, oh!"

Mac felt Horatio's entire body tense and his member twitch in his mouth just before he came with a cry. Mac swallowed everything his lover had to give and then let the half-hard length slip out of his mouth as he stood up. He pulled Horatio in for a kiss.

"Feel better?" He asked with a smug smile.

"Yeah. You look very proud of yourself." Horatio smiled.

"I am. I know my sexual skills are the best." Mac winked and kissed his lover's cheek before leaving to tend to the grocery items.

Horatio buttoned his shirt again, pulled his boxers and jeans back up and then joined his lover in the kitchen. The danger was far from over, but he wouldn't let it cloud his mind tonight. He was going to enjoy cooking with his lover and spend time with their children; like he dreamt about for years.

_**Please review!**_


	27. Chapter 27

**Thanks a lot for the reviews!**

Horatio was home alone with two-month old Noah and Caylee while Mac helping the team at the lab with a case; he was there as a consultant. For the past two weeks Missus Reardon had left no threats. Her letters had stopped coming to the house and some people thought that maybe she had given up. Mac and Horatio knew better though, they were certain that she was just preparing for something bigger.

Noah smiled when he saw his father enter the nursery. Horatio picked up his son and went to check on his daughter; Caylee was still sleeping. Noah made baby noises while Horatio changed his diaper and put some clothes on him. By the time he was going down to get his son some food Caylee woke up and started cooing. Horatio went down to the kitchen and put Noah in his babysitter, then went back upstairs to get Caylee. He changed her diaper and put some clothes on her before taking her downstairs to join her brother.

The two siblings looked at each other while they "talked" and smiled. Horatio enjoyed listening to them while making breakfst. He sat down on a chair in front of them (their babysitters were on the table). Noah was happy to eat, but Caylee had started being more difficult when it came to food. She wasn't always so keen on eating and it wasn't unusual that it took over an hour before she ate. Mac and Horatio had tried to wait to feed her to see if she got hungry later, but no matter what time of the day or night it was she always put up a fight; sometimes only for a few minutes and sometimes longer.

While Noah happily took food from his dad, Caylee whimpered and spit hers out.

"You're like me. You don't like to eat very much." Horatio said, "Your brother is more like daddy Mac, huh?"

Horatio smiled as Noah laughed at him and kicked with his little legs. After ten minutes Caylee devoured her food and was back to being a happy girl.

After breakfast Horatio and the twins watched some cartoon on TV. Neither Caylee nor Noah seemed interested in their toys when Horatio tried to play with them.

"We have to start buying cartoon movies soon." Horatio said, "So you two can watch it when you get older."

Horatio lied down on the couch with his son lying on his chest and Caylee on his arm, leaning against the back of the couch. Within in minutes all three of them had fallen asleep.

It had amazed both Mac and Horatio at first that even in their sleep they made sure their babies didn't fall. Alexx had told them that subconsciously they knew that they had a little one to hold and keep safe, so it was no problem sleeping with a baby on the chest or in the arms.

**-I-**

Mac was stunned at how quickly it took for someone to get used to not being in a lab. He hadn't lost his touch when it came to the job, but suddenly being in a lab coat again and being inside a lab working felt weird. He already missed Horatio and the twins; though he had to admit that it was nice to be in a lab again too. Sometimes he missed his job as CSI very much, but he had never regretted his decision to retire and move down to Miami.

"Hey Mac, I'm going to take another look at the crime scene and I could use a pair of fresh eyes." Ryan said.

"I'll go with you." Mac said.

He put the evidence he was working on away and went with Ryan to the parking lot. They got inside a hummer and then Ryan drove towards the crime scene. The case they were working on was about a 13-year old that had been strangled; supposedly by her own big brother. Mac didn't even want to think about what had gone through the brother's mind when he had strangled his own sister; although there was a good chance that it wasn't him. He had confessed, but the evidence suggested that another person could have been involved and that the brother was covering for the real killer.

"Mac, I wanted to talk to you about something." Ryan said.

"What is it?"

Ryan stopped the car on the side of the road and Mac instantly got worried; he knew it had to have something to do with Mrs. Reardon.

"Mrs. Reardon has been spotted among some small-time criminals." Ryan said, "Specifically the kind that deals with guns."

"You think she's bought a gun?"

"Well, according to the confidential informers we have that hang out with that kind of crowd… no, she hasn't." Ryan sighed.

"But they could be wrong."

"Exactly. Just because they haven't seen her buy a gun or heard about it, doesn't mean she hasn't found someone willing to sell her one." Ryan said.

"It's a good thing we have two officers outside the house then." Mac said.

"Well... um… she's been asking for a gun with a silencer."

"Damn." Mac growled, "She's smart. She knows that with a silencer no one will hear the shots."

"Yeah." Ryan said sadly, "But look, the officers are still protecting you and H."

"But if she finds a loophole she'll take it without a doubt." Mac said.

Ryan nodded sadly. Mac sighed and told Ryan to continue to the crime scene. He knew that the two officers assigned to guard Horatio and Mac outside their house was two of the best men the department had. But all it took was for them to look away or lose for one second and Mrs. Reardon could take the shot.

"At least she didn't ask for a sniper gun." Mac said.

"Yeah, that would have been worse." Ryan agreed.

Silently both men were thankful that Horatio had his service gun at home and he wouldn't hesitate to shoot Mrs. Reardon if he had to. They could only pray that it didn't come to that.

**-I-**

Johnny Mitchell and Thomas Gable were the two officers sitting outside the Caine and Taylor household; they guarded the family during the mornings, days and afternoon, while Officers Kenny Rogers and Liam McCabe were there during the evening and night. They had been working with Horatio for over ten years and knew him quite well at work. Thomas had just walked around the house to check everything out, while Johnny was sitting in the car keeping an eye on the street outside.

They had seen some of their colleagues posing as civilians walking past too. Now the streets were empty and the only thing heard was the soft wind blowing.

"Hey Johnny, when was the last time you heard from Kenny and Liam?" Thomas asked.

"Thirty minutes ago, they're on their way here."

"They should have been here already."

Thomas had a gut feeling that something was wrong and checked to see how many bullets he had in his gun; it was full. Johnny looked confused at him and then did the same.

"You think something happened to them?" Johnny asked.

"I don't know." Thomas said, "I just got a bad feeling about this."

What Thomas and Johnny didn't know was that their two fellow cops were dead in a ditch by the road. They had stopped by the side of the road when a hooded woman had waved at them for what seemed like a call for help. They hadn't even made it out of the car before she had pulled a gun and shot them. She had then dragged their bodies of the car and pushed them down a ditch before getting in the car and driving away.

"Radio them." Thomas said, "Ask them where they are and if they're okay."

Johnny reached for the radio but then saw the squad car coming around the corner in the rearview mirror.

"Here they come." He said and let out a relieved sigh.

The car came closer and Johnny frowned when he only saw one person in it and that he or she was hooded. He reached for his gun as the car pulled up next to him, but he was too late. With one bullet in the head he slumped down in the seat... dead. Thomas ducked behind the car with his gun ready in his hands. He heard the car door open and someone walk on the ground. Then everything went quiet.

Thomas peeked around the hood of the car and saw no one. Then suddenly he saw something flash in the sun to his left. He glanced towards the hooded person standing behind the car and was greeted with a bullet between the eyes. He dropped dead on the ground and the killer took off the hooded shirt.

Mrs. Reardon smiled and silently thanked her partner for the gun; completely perfect with a silencer. She dragged Thomas's body to the backseat of the car and dumped him there. Then she checked around to make sure no one was there before making her way to the beach house. She approached the front door and with all the strength she could muster she kicked the door in.

A loud bang woke up Horatio up from his sleep. He had fallen asleep in the twin's bedroom in the recliner. He could hear Caylee cooing and stood up with a smile. He wondered what the bang had come from and was just about to go check it out when he found himself looking into the barrel of a gun. Holding the gun was none other than Lacey Reardon.

"Miss me?" She smirked, "Sit down."

Horatio backed towards the recliner but refused to sit down. Mrs. Reardon glanced towards Noah and Caylee, and then aimed the gun at Caylee.

"One move and I blow her brains out."

"What do you want?" Horatio asked, although he already knew that she wanted to kill him.

"I want you to come with me."

"What?"

Mrs. Reardon chuckled and repeated her request. She told Horatio what she had done with the officers outside the house and the two officers that were supposed to be working the next shift.

"All four of them dead." She smirked evilly, "Now come with me or this little sweetheart's brain matter will be all over these walls."

Horatio glared at the woman in front of him. He knew Mac would be home in twenty minutes and hope that he could stall her.

"Don't do this. Just walk away." Horatio said.

"I am not leaving without you. I know your lover has no gun with him and that your gun is downstairs." Mrs. Reardon said.

"If you hurt my kids I swear I will kill you." Horatio growled.

"Let me remind you that I'm the one holding the gun."

"I know that if I come with you I'll die."

"True. I won't lie to you lieutenant." Mrs. Reardon said, "But if you want to save the lives of your children and your lover you will come with me now."

When Horatio didn't answer Mrs. Reardon cocked the gun and put it against Caylee's head.

**-I-**

Mac saw the two squad cars outside the house and frowned. He quickly parked his car in the driveway and approached the two police cars. He instantly saw the blood in both vehicles. In one of them he saw Johnny and Thomas's dead bodies. His blood froze and he ran inside the house through the broken door.

"Horatio!" He called.

He checked the living room and then heard the twins crying. He ran upstairs and found Noah and Caylee in their cribs. No sign of a struggle; everything was clean.

"Horatio!"

Mac felt desperate and he tried to soothe the twins while calling his lover's phone. He heard a familiar ring tone coming from the bedroom downstairs and realized that Horatio's phone was still at home.

"Horatio, where are you!"

_**Please review!**_


	28. Chapter 28

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Mrs. Reardon watched as Horatio was knocked out in a chair. They were in abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. It had been easy to get Horatio to go with her after she had threatened to shoot Caylee.

**Flashback**

_"I know that if I come with you I'll die."_

_"True. I won't lie to you lieutenant." Mrs. Reardon said, "But if you want to save the lives of your children and your lover you will come with me now."_

_When Horatio didn't answer Mrs. Reardon cocked the gun and put it against Caylee's head. __Horatio hesitated then nodded. He knew that Mrs. Reardon was crazy enough to shoot his daughter if he didn't do as she wanted. Horatio swallowed hard._

"_Okay." He said, "I'll go with you."_

"_Good decision." Mrs. Reardon said and aimed the gun at him._

_Horatio was given a second to kiss the twins goodbye before Mrs. Reardon forced him to go with her. In the door he saw a young man._

"_The car is outside." He said and then aimed another gun at Horatio._

_Horatio knew he couldn't fight now. If he tried to get the gun from Mrs. Reardon then the young man would shoot him instead. _

"_Perfect." Mrs. Reardon grinned._

_Horatio got inside the car in the back seat together with the young man. The car was probably rented; just a hunch Horatio got. He didn't get to observe much more before he was knocked in the head with something and everything went dark. _

"_Good hit, Jimmy." Mrs. Reardon grinned._

_Jimmy was a young, naïve man. He had spent some time in jail for theft, possession of drugs and unlicensed weapon. It was he whom had provided Mrs. Reardon with the gun that she used; so she could especially kill the four officers guarding Horatio and Mac._

"_Anything for you, Mrs. Reardon." Jimmy smiled._

**End of Flashback**

Jimmy approached Mrs. Reardon. He was going to escape with her. He didn't know all the details that she had planned, but she had said that her plan couldn't fail. There were several risks involved in it, but it wouldn't and couldn't fail. After months of planning she had thought of every detail possible. By the end of the day Horatio Caine would be dead and she would be a free woman… but she wouldn't be the only one whom was forever free.

"Should I do something?" Jimmy asked.

"He's waking up. Is everything set up?" Mrs. Reardon asked.

"Yeah, you can torture him as much as you want now."

"Good. Then there is no need for you to see this Jimmy. Go out and have some fun."

Jimmy nodded and left the room. Lacey Reardon knew that by having fun Jimmy would get high; so high in fact that he'd probably pass out; at least she hoped he would. She heard Horatio groan and smirked. When his eyes fluttered open she looked at the tools she had to use; knives, a hammer, a hacksaw, axe and the most important thing; the electrical cables with which she could electrocute the redhead.

"Where am I?" Horatio croaked.

"In abandoned house where no one will find you." Mrs. Reardon said, "I have the perfect plan and you are here to not only allow me to have my revenge, but to make sure your people do as they are told."

"What are you going to do?" Horatio asked.

Mrs. Reardon smirked and approached her prisoner. She picked up the electrical cables.

"I'm going to kill you slowly and force your team to listen." She whispered.

She put the cables against his shoulder; in her other hand she held trigger. Horatio's eyes widened and just as he was about to speak she pressed the button. Horatio's body twitched and jerked as electricity flowed through him for twenty seconds before Mrs. Reardon stopped.

He was panting and felt his body jolt from the shocks.

"That was only for starters." Mrs. Reardon grinned.

**-I-**

Mac now understood why witnesses sometimes hated to repeat their stories over and over again. He had already explained several times to the team what he had seen when he had come home; which was nothing. Horatio wasn't there. He didn't want to have to go through it again, he just wanted to do something to find his lover.

"You don't have gun do you?" Frank asked.

"No… I'm only a consult and haven't been issued one yet." Mac sighed and rubbed his eyes, "I'm getting one tomorrow."

Alexx and her husband were looking over Caylee and Noah while Mac was being questioned in the lab. He wasn't a suspect in the eyes of the team, but as IAB sergeant Rick Stetler had pointed out, he had to be questioned and ruled out as a suspect; just like any other person would in a case like this.

"Have you found anything?" Mac asked.

Frank and Mac were in the break room. Horatio had been gone an hour and Frank told Mac that so far all they knew was that four officers had been shot, most likely by Mrs. Reardon and that she had been driving a small car; which was currently being matched to a specific model.

"When we've gathered all we can we'll have a press conference." Frank said.

"Mac, Frank!" Ryan called as he came running towards them, "You have to listen to this."

Mac and Frank hurried after Ryan to the layout room where Calleigh was on the phone with Mrs. Reardon.

"Mrs. Reardon, I will ask you nicely to release Horatio." Calleigh said.

"Nice try bitch." Mrs. Reardon laughed, "Is Mac there?"

"I'm here." Mac said.

"Listen carefully." Mrs. Reardon said and for a few seconds everything was quiet.

Then there was a male scream and a buzzing sound; Mac's eyes widened as he listened to his lover's agonizing screams as he was electrocuted; there was no mistaking what the buzzing sound was. The team tried not to listen as their friend was tortured again and again for almost two minutes.

"Enough!" Mac growled, "Tell me what I have to do to get him back!"

"Alright, let's get down to business." Mrs. Reardon said, "You people have three hours, starting now, to let my husband go. I will call in two hours and give you the place where I want him to be dropped off; only one cop is allowed to be with him. After he's left with me, you will be allowed to go to Horatio."

"Where is Horatio?"

"At the same place I am now." Mrs. Reardon said, "There is no point trying to trace the call; it's meant to bounce of different satellites."

Cooper threw his arms up in defeat as he failed to trace the call. Mac growled.

"And you promise Horatio will be alive?" He asked.

"Yes. If you try to help Horatio before I have my husband with me I will blow this place up and you will find bits and pieces of your lover everywhere."

The phone call was disconnected and everyone sighed.

"We have to release her husband." Frank said.

"How is she planning on getting away?" Ryan asked.

"She has to have a bigger plan." Eric said, "Something she isn't telling us of course."

"How fast can we get her husband to be released?" Mac asked.

He would do anything to get his lover back, including releasing Mr. Reardon from jail. Frank put a hand on Mac's shoulder.

"I'll talk to the Chief." Calleigh said.

They all knew that Mister Reardon was unlikely to be released; it all came down to if the governor gave permission for it or not.

"I can't just sit around here and do nothing!"Mac exclaimed.

"You can come with me."

Everyone turned to the door to face Sheldon Hawkes. He approached Mac and gave the older man a supportive hug.

"You got down here fast." Eric said to his friend.

"I got offered a private jet." Sheldon shrugged, "Sometimes knowing rich people is good."

"What are you planning to do with Mac?" Frank asked.

"I was thinking about the tire treads." Sheldon said, "Have you got a match yet?"

"No."

Just then the computer beeped announcing that they finally did have a match to tire treads to the kind of car they were looking for. A picture was printed out and Calleigh handed it to Sheldon.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" She asked.

"Rental car." Sheldon said.

"Exactly." She said.

"Mac and I can go to every rental car business, if that is what it takes, and ask if they recently rented any cars to Mrs. Reardon." Sheldon said.

"How could they do that without recognizing her?" Ryan asked, "Her picture has been on the news for weeks now."

"She could have used a disguise or even had a partner." Eric said, "I'll go with you."

"Great." Mac said, "Let's go. I'm not wasting any time."

Sheldon and Eric followed Mac, while Calleigh and the others started working on getting the permission to have Mister Reardon released from prison, while also trying to think of another idea then to actually release him. Mac called Alexx to check on the twins; he felt guilty for not looking after them, but Alexx told him that Horatio needed him right now and that the twins were fine.

**-I-**

One hour had passed since Mrs. Reardon had called the lab. Horatio had been electrocuted and now cut with knives too. Jimmy had been allowed to beat him with a tire iron as well. Everything hurt and Horatio could barely stay awake. However, ff it only looked like he was falling asleep Mrs. Reardon would give him a small electric shock. The knife cuts on his arms were dripping with blood on to the floor.

"They won't release your husband." Horatio sighed, "MDPD doesn't negotiate with people like you."

"No, but they do make exceptions for people like you."

"Not this time. They won't release him."

Mrs. Reardon growled and slammed a small knife into Horatio's left calf. He let out a groan and gasped. She twisted it around and drove it deeper into his flesh.

"Say that again." She growled.

"They won't, argh!" Horatio closed his eyes in pain and tried to breath.

He had a few broken ribs and was probably bleeding internally too. Mrs. Reardon pulled the knife out and then used a towel to wrap around Horatio's leg to stop the bleeding a bit anyway.

"They will release him." She said firmly.

Horatio was having a difficult time breathing. He saw a device on the table where Mrs. Reardon kept her tools; he immidiately recognized it as a bomb.

"You're going to blow this place up. Why?" He asked.

"To get rid of evidence." She shrugged, "This thing has a timer on it and it will hopefully destroy all the evidence left in here."

"I hope it fails." Horatio growled.

Mrs. Reardon chuckled and then electrocuted Horatio again. This time she kept on for a long, long time. Horatio's body jerked and he trashed around in the chair. He wasn't tied to it, but in his current state he couldn't escape no matter how much he wanted to.

He screamed and fell down on the floor, his body still writhing from the electric shocks. When Mrs. Reardon finally stopped she went over to check on Horatio. She frowned when she felt no pulse.

"Jimmy!" She called.

Jimmy came running, but was too high to stand up straight and he slumped against the wall. Mrs. Reardon started to desperately check Horatio for a pulse; he wasn't supposed to die yet.

She sighed in relief when she found a faint, irregular heartbeat.

"Good, he's still alive." She said and turned to her partner in crime, "Jimmy get the hell out!"

Jimmy nodded and tried to stand. Mrs. Reardon sighed and picked up the knife she had used on Horatio earlier. She approached Jimmy.

"You are useless." She growled.

**-I-**

The car that Missus Reardon had used had been found after a man remembered that he had indeed rented a car to her; only at the time when she had rented it he had barely seen her face. Fortunately he only had one car of the right model so it hadn't been hard to figure out that the hooded woman he had rented it to had been Mrs. Reardon.

The only problem was that the car was burnt badly on the side of the road. Nevertheless it was transported to the CSI garage to be processed. Mac also learned that no matter how much Chief Baxter and Calleigh had begged the higher ups and the governor they hadn't been granted permission to release Mister Reardon from prison. Soon two hours would have passed and when Mrs. Reardon found that her husband wasn't getting released she would definitely kill Horatio.

Mac was sitting in the locker room; in front of his lover's locker with a cup of coffee in his hand. He wasn't giving up; he was just trying to figure out what he could possibly do. They had no idea where Mrs. Reardon was; there were just no leads. She had somehow managed to transport Horatio from the road where she had ditched the rental car, but it had turned out to be impossible to find any other tired treads on that road. There were just no new clues and all the team could do was hope that the governor would change his mind or that they would somehow be able to deceive Mrs. Reardon and get Horatio out before she blew him up.

When he heard someone cooing he snapped out of his thoughts and looked up to see Alexx with Noah in her arms. Mac could hear her husband talking someone outside the locker room; probably holding Caylee.

"I think this little guy misses you." Alexx smiled and sat down next to the broken man.

Mac smiled; no matter how he felt and no matter how worried he was, his and Horatio's children could always make him smile. He grabbed Noah's hand and caressed his son's cheek; he was rewarded with a big smile.

"Hi there little guy." Mac said.

"The team will find a way to bring Horatio home." Alexx said, "Don't lose hope, Mac."

"I haven't. I just got one voice in my head telling me to think like a CSI; which includes a lot of logic and not so happy thoughts. The other voice tells me not to lose hope."

"Well listen to the second voice."

"I am… but, I'm a CSI. You know as well as I do what condition Horatio could be in when he's found." Mac sighed, "She electrocuted him."

"True. But he will be fine. No matter how hurt he is, he will recover." Alexx said, "He's a fighter."

Mac nodded. He knew it was true. He also knew that his lover was human and a hero as well; he had saved their children from getting shot. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that Horatio had probably left the house willingly with Mrs. Reardon because she had most likely threatened the twins. Mac would have done the same thing. Even if it meant that one of them could become a single-parent. Besides, if Horatio hadn't done what Mrs. Reardon wanted, not only would she have shot the twins, but Mac too.

"The news are all over this aren't they?" Mac asked.

"Yeah, that Eric Sykes is doing most of the news reports." Alexx sighed, "She's urging Mrs. Reardon to let Horatio go; she doesn't even care about him."

"It's all so she can get as famous as possible." Mac said.

"Yeah, but she just makes herself look like a fool." Alexx said, "She's basically stalking the governor now too."

"How so?"

"She found out from an unknown source that Mrs. Reardon is asking for the release of her husband." Alexx said, "I think someone from IAB told her and Stetler is trying to found out who."

"If Mrs. Reardon is watching the news then…"

"Let's hope she's not. At least not if Sykes reports that the governor said not to her request. Then we're in trouble." Alexx sighed.

Mac nodded. For once he hoped that Sykes's mouth would be permanently shut.

"I have an idea!"

Alexx and Mac frowned as they heard Sheldon yelling outside the locker room. They stood up and went to the door. Sheldon was running through the lab shouting that he had an idea. Tony, Alexx's husband looked at Mac.

"He has an idea." He shrugged.

Mac had to smile at Tony pointing out the obvious. They all went to the layout room where Sheldon was waiting while furiously typing at the computer keyboard. The rest of the team joined them and Sheldon grinned.

"This is a picture of Mister Reardon." He said.

There was a picture of the man on the computer screen.

"This is one of Frank." Sheldon said, "See the resemblance."

"Ah yes!" Calleigh exclaimed, "Besides Frank's lack of hair, they look very similar."

Frank frowned and took a closer look at the picture of Mister Reardon.

"Of all the people I could have resembled it had to be a killer." He sighed.

"With a wig, and maybe even a hat you could pass for Mister Reardon from a distance. It's all we need to distract Mrs. Reardon so that SWAT can search the place and hopefully find Horatio before Mrs. Reardon even realizes that we've tricked her." Sheldon said.

"It's the best plan we have." Mac said, "Let's do it."

"Frank, let's get you changed." Calleigh said.

**-I-**

Frank stepped out of the car. Mrs. Reardon had called thirty minutes earlier giving the team the directions to the abandoned house where she was keeping Horatio. As Frank approached the house from the front, SWAT approached it from the back. He had a hat on that partly hid his face; an earphone and a wig that made him look exactly like Mister Reardon from afar.

Frank walked slowly to stall time for the SWAT team. Some other officers and the team were hiding further down the road so that they weren't seen. Only one officer was with Frank and he was waiting by the car.

He heard SWAT talking in his earphone; they were close to entering the hose now. Frank looked back at the officer and then took a deep breath. He couldn't see if Mrs. Reardon was watching from a window. He had a gun in his suit jacket, so that when he and Mrs. Reardon got close enough he would aim it at her. They knew that if she saw his face she would be able to tell that it wasn't really her husband. He heard SWAT saying that they were entering the house. Frank walked a little faster.

Suddenly the were a loud boom and Frank was thrown back against the ground. The house went into pieces, killing three SWAT members and hurting two others. Frank was shocked and stayed on the ground for a few minutes before sitting up. What was left of the house was burning and the rest of the SWAT team was hurrying to save their friends. Frank stood up and started running towards the explosion sight.

"Horatio!"

_**Please review!**_


	29. Chapter 29

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

Frank ran inside the burning building. He desperately looked around for Horatio. The SWAT team was trying to get their injured friends out before more of the building collapsed. Frank coughed and covered his mouth with his hand. He had to find his friend. He ran around the burnt ground like a maniac before he finally saw it.

Something or someone was lying under a door. Frank pulled the door off the prone person and bent down to take a closer look. The body was so badly burned that he couldn't see who it was… but he was about six feet tall… lying in a fetal position. Frank heard sirens approaching and a hand on his shoulder as the SWAT leader tried to pull him away.

He was too shocked to put up a fight and allowed himself to be dragged to safety. The team arrived, minus Sheldon who was with Mac in the lab, and then fire rescue arrived after them and started putting out the fire. Frank let the EMTs examine him while he stared at the bomb sight. It couldn't be his friend that was dead. Horatio couldn't be the burnt corpse.

When the fire was put out and the fire rescue workers declared that it was safe to process the scene Frank shook himself from his stupor and approached the scene. The team and Alexx were close behind him. Alexx held back tears as she knelt down next to the body.

"Alexx?" Frank asked after a while.

Silently he willed the ME to confirm that the dead body was _not_ Horatio. It couldn't be.

"I'm not sure." She said quietly, "He's too badly burned to tell. I'll have to check with dental records."

"Alexx, that can't be…" Eric started.

"It's not H." Ryan said, "I don't believe so."

"I'll take him back to the morgue." Alexx almost whispered.

The team watched as Alexx left with the body. They had a job to do, but after Frank decided that they were too shocked to do it; he called the night shift CSIs. They were glad to be able to help. The team went back to the lab to deliver the news to Mac; they didn't look forward to that conversation.

**-I-**

"_The house where Lieutenant Caine was allegedly held captive by Mrs. Reardon has blown up. The explosion killed three SWAT officers and injured two. The police also found a dead body among the remains of the house, but haven't yet announced if the body is Lieutenant Horatio Caine."_ Erica Sykes said, _"As we await the results of the identification of the body we pray with the Lieutenant's family that he is not deceased. In the meantime…"_

Mac switched off the TV in the break room and sat down on the couch. The body was down in the morgue and Mac refused to believe it was Horatio. Noah and Caylee were lying in their stroller and Mac stared at them. He did not think for one second that his lover was lying on an autopsy table while Alexx cut him open. He knew she was still waiting for dental records to tell who the body was, but as far as Mac was concerned; it wasn't Horatio.

Tears threatened to fall when Mac's CSI mind argued with his other mind that the possibility of it not being Horatio was slim. No one had been around to stop Missus Reardon from killing him, so why couldn't she have killed him and then blown him up? Nobody could have stopped her from doing it. Mac wiped a tear away. He couldn't give up now; there was still a small chance the body was someone else.

"Mac?"

Mac looked up to see Sheldon standing next to him. Sheldon sighed and sat down next to his friend. He looked down into the stroller and stroked Caylee's cheek. If Horatio was gone he knew that Mac would never be the same man again. He would go on for the sake of the twins, but never be the same Mac that Sheldon knew.

"Any news?" Mac asked.

"No."

"Not even about Mrs. Reardon?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Sheldon sighed.

Mac rubbed his eyes and sighed. He looked at the clock hanging on the wall and wished that Alexx would be able to give some answers soon. If the body wasn't Horatio, then his lover was still missing. Sheldon patted Mac's shoulder and stood up. He started pacing slowly and looking at the clock. It had been nearly an hour since Alexx had come back with the body. Nobody could or even wanted to imagine if it was their beloved friend and boss in the morgue. To think that the redhead had been burnt so badly made them all sick. They couldn't even begin to imagine the pain he must have been feeling while he was tortured by the obnoxious woman.

If the body was Horatio then Mac wasn't sure if he even wanted to see him. As terrible as it probably seemed Mac wanted to remember Horatio in the way he had lived, what he had looked like alive and not dead. He was afraid that if he saw the burnt corpse and it was Horatio, he would forget what the alive Horatio looked like as (far as mental images went) and therefore have that burnt corpse forever etched into his mind. He didn't want that.

"Mac, Sheldon?"

Mac and Sheldon looked towards the door where Eric stood. He waved for them to follow him. With a deep breath Mac stood up and grabbed the handle of the twin stroller. He walked quickly with it in front of him towards the morgue. Sheldon was right next to him. The team was already waiting for them when they arrived. Mac didn't want the twins to go inside the autopsy room so Sheldon offered to stay with them outside.

Mac felt his heart beat fast as he entered the autopsy room. He saw the white sheet covering the shape of a person and Alexx standing next to it.

"Meet Jimmy Warrens." Alexx said.

Mac sighed in relief and heard the team laugh quietly as they too were relieved to hear that the body didn't belong to Horatio.

"This is not Horatio, although I suspect that Mrs. Reardon wanted us to believe it was." Alexx said, "Jimmy was stabbed to death and all the burns on his body I believe are post-mortem; I have to do a more thorough autopsey to be sure of it though."

"He was dead when the house exploded." Frank said.

"Correct."

"How do you know it's Jimmy Warrens?" Ryan asked.

"Well, when I tested Horatio's dental records against the body I was extremely relieved to find that they didn't match." Alexx said, "I started checking dental records of some known small time criminals and Jimmy Warrens was one of them."

"Hey! Now I remember who he is." Frank said, "Ryan and I've met him."

"Oh yeah, we busted him for possession of an unlicensed weapon last year." Ryan said, "He has quite the rap sheet."

"And access to guns with silencers." Frank said, "Mrs. Reardon was looking for one according to our confidential informers."

"Do you think he helped her make the bomb?" Eric asked.

"Well, Jimmy was smart enough to build one, but if one knows where the look on the internet they can find that information there too." Frank said, "It's possible that Mrs. Reardon built it herself."

"This leaves one problem though." Eric said.

"Horatio is still missing." Mac said.

**-I-**

Mrs. Reardon was hurrying through the woods. She had already dumped Horatio in a ditch and she hoped that he would die there. After she had seen on the news that the governor wouldn't release her husband (courtesy of Erica Sykes reporting), she knew she had to do something. So she hoped to take out a lot of cops and fool them to think Horatio was dead by leaving Jimmy's dead body in the house and putting on the timer of the bomb.

She had been half-dragging Horatio through the woods, hoping to be able to use him later as leverage to get her wish. Unfortunately he had passed out and she had had no choice but to dump him in the woods and continue on her own. She had to get to the airport and escape for a while. If she left the country for a few months then Horatio (if he survived) would have the chance to recover and she could hurt him even more when she came back. Of course she wished he was already lying dead in the ditch where she had pushed him down, but in the event that he survived then she would have to get her revenge later.

She stumbled and cursed; she was sweating, her clothes were ruined and she could hear dogs barking from a distance. She hoped that it wasn't search dogs, because then they might be able to find her and Horatio.

She was still angry that she hadn't got her wish. The original plan had been to drive away in Jimmy's car (which had probably blown up too as it was standing by the house) with her husband, then take a private plane, a small one that she could fly, to New York and from there switch to yet another plane to take to the Bahamas.

And although she was glad that Erica Sykes was stupid enough to report on the news that the governor wasn't going to release her husband and by doing so risking Horatio's life as well as letting Mrs. Reardon know beforehand that the team couldn't give her what she wanted, she was also mad. Her husband's freedom was important to her and she didn't want to spend the rest of her life on the run alone. She wanted to spend it with him. Her dear husband; killer or not, she still loved him.

She could no longer hear dogs barking and smirked. She was getting further away from them and she knew that soon she'd be a free woman far away from Miami and America, in a country where they wouldn't find her.

**-I-**

While Alexx and her husband were taking care of Noah and Caylee, Mac was joining the search party for his lover. The perfect place to start looking had seemed to be the woods surrounding the explosion sight; only it turned out to be huge. Thanks to Mac giving the cops clothes that belonged to Horatio so the search dogs could find him, they were on their way. Everyone ran like crazy after the dogs as they sniffed for his lover. It was starting to rain and getting cold too.

"We got to hurry up! If he's out here he won't be able to stand the chilling temperature." Frank called out.

Mac didn't feel tired as he ran; he only had one thing on his mind and that was to find Horatio. The rain was really starting to pour down and Mac started to think about the different places where Horatio could be lying, if he had been dumped, if he was somewhere where deep lying maybe with his face in mud then the water could make him drown.

"We have to hurry!" Mac called out.

"We're going as fast as we can, Mac." Sheldon said, "The dogs have found his scent."

"I know, but they haven't found him yet." Mac said.

"They will."

Mac nodded. Suddenly one dog started running even faster and his master stumbled on the wet leaves, he lost his grip on the leash and the dog took off running towards a lake. Mac looked at the team and they all went pale with fear; afraid that Horatio was in the lake. They could hear the dog bark and a helicopter flying over their heads.

"The dog found him!" Someone called, "The helicopter has visual confirmation of the dog and the Lieutenant!"

"Where to?" Someone yelled.

"Straight forward!"

Mac took off like a speeding bullet and only Ryan managed to keep up with him. He was right behind the older man and they half-stumbled half-ran down a slope. Mac's heart skipped a beat as he saw it; the red hair and his lover lying in a ditch. The dog barked at him and nudged Horatio's body with his nose.

When Mac reached Horatio he knelt down next to his body and carefully cleared some leaves and dirt away from his lover's face.

"Love? Horatio can you hear me?"

"Mac, don't move him." Ryan panted as he knelt on the other side of his friend and boss.

Horatio was barely breathing; his arms were covered in blood, he had a deep gash in his head his body shook with the effects of the electrocutions; he was cold too and seemed to have a fever.

"Horatio, please open your eyes."

When the officers and the EMTs arrived Ryan tried to literally pull Mac away from Horatio. Mac didn't want to let go and it took several minutes before Ryan, with help from Sheldon, managed to pry Mac away from his lover. Mac watched in shock as the EMTs worked on Horatio. They talked into the radio and asked for an emergency helicopter. All Mac and the team could do was to watch.

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_**Sorry if I'm having a lot of problems with "burned/burnt", I'm not always sure which one to use. **_


	30. Chapter 30

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Mac was pacing in the waiting area. Sheldon and Ryan were sitting down watching him. The rest of the team was helping the night shift process the crime scene as well as trying to locate Missus Reardon. The news had already heard about Horatio being found. Erica Sykes was as usual reporting the most.

IAB was working hard on trying to find out who leaked the story to her. Horatio's disappearance had been a secret at first, but the most important thing was that someone from MDPD had told Erica about the governor's decision not to release Mister Reardon from jail. Sykes wasn't willing to give up her source, of course, but the team was confident that Rick Stetler would be able to find out who the leak was anyway.

Horatio had been in surgery for hours now and with each passing hour Mac grew more and more worried. He couldn't eat or think straight. He couldn't even take care of the twins (he was eternally grateful for Alexx and her husband for taking care of Caylee and Noah). He felt ashamed that he wasn't being a good father, but everyone had told him that right now Horatio needed him more than anyone.

"Why is taking so goddamn long?" Mac growled.

"Mac, sit down and have something to eat." Sheldon pleaded.

Mac shook his head. He couldn't concentrate on anything other than Horatio; his lover. What made him angry was the fact that Missus Reardon had yet to be found. Nobody knew where she was. She could have left the country by now and then they would never find her. What was worse was that _if_ she had left the country then she could come back later and finish the job. Mac couldn't stand it. He was not going to let his lover live in fear again; they already had for so long.

"Mac." Sheldon said.

"I won't sit down."

"Why not?" Sheldon asked, "Pacing won't make time pass faster and you need to eat something."

"I'll buy a sandwich and coffee for you." Ryan said and left to go to the cafeteria.

Mac sighed and sat down next to Sheldon. The younger man had been a great support all along.

"Thank you for being here, Sheldon."

"Anytime Mac. You would do the same for me."

When Ryan came back Mac ate as if he had never seen food before. He must have been more hungry than he realized. It took another hour before a doctor finally showed up.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Lynda Pines." The woman shook hands with all three men, "Lieutenant Caine is semi-conscious right now; he slips in and out of consciousness all the time."

"He'll be okay, right?" Mac asked.

"I believe so. He has two broken ribs, cuts on his arms, legs and chest; so he's lost a lot of blood, he also has a concussion as well as slight spasms from the electric shocks." Doctor Pines said, "However, it is unlikely that they will have caused permanent damage. Although the shocks were probably painful, I don't think the charge was very high."

"Thank God." Sheldon mumbled.

"No permanent damage?" Mac asked, just to be sure.

"Well, he might have to go through physical therapy because of the muscles in his arms. They are badly damaged from the deep knife wounds and it is unlikely that he will be able to grip things until he's had physical therapy." Doctor Pines said, "He might be able to hold a baby if he can also support the baby's weight against his chest or other body parts, but he will not be able to lift heavy things with only his arms."

Mac nodded. Nobody wanted to hear that their lover would have to go through physical therapy, but it was better than Mac had imagined. At least Doctor Pines was sure that physical therapy would help Horatio recover.

"Can I see him?" Mac asked.

"This way." Doctor Pines smiled, "Be sure that you don't overcrowd him."

The three men nodded and followed the doctor to a private room. She opened the door and they stepped inside; the room was dimly lit and only the beeping of the heart monitor was heard. Horatio was awake and moving slightly in his bed; clearly feeling uncomfortable to be in a hospital.

Mac quickly approached the redhead and sat down on a chair next to his bed; he grabbed his lover's hand and for a few seconds Horatio looked at him and smiled the smallest of smiles he could; but a smile nonetheless.

"Hi, love." Mac whispered.

An oxygen mask covered Horatio's face, but he mumbled something and then closed his eyes. Ryan and Sheldon went to the other side of the bed. Ryan bent down near Horatio's ear.

"H, it's Ryan... I just want to let you know that we're going to catch her. In fact, I'll be going to the lab now to help the team find her." Ryan said and gave his friend's hand a quick squeeze.

"Horatio, I will stay here with Mac for a while, but I'll also be heading to the lab later. You keep on fighting and stay strong, my friend." Sheldon smiled.

Horatio was already asleep though. Mac nodded gratefully at his friends. Ryan left while Sheldon stayed for a while.

**-I-**

"Are you completely insane or did you do it on purpose?" Rick growled.

Rick was in an interrogation room and he was yelling at his colleague Gary Turner, a young man that had just transferred to IAB a week earlier; he was the one responsible for leaking the story about Horatio's kidnapping and the governor's decision about Mister Reardon to Erica Sykes.

Rick had found out when he had caught Turner on the phone with Erica telling her that Horatio had been found in a ditch and that he was in the hospital.

"I'm sorry, sir. I-"

"Didn't use your head! Erica Sykes reported on the news about the governor's decision not to release Mister Reardon before the team's time, that Missus Reardon had given them, had even run out." Rick growled, "Thanks to you, Erica could warn Missus Reardon that her husband would remain in jail and thereby she also knew that the team was trying to trick her when they dressed Sergeant Tripp up as her husband. Because of _you_ she dumped Lieutenant Caine in the woods to die!"

"I didn't know she was going to report it, sir!" Turner exclaimed.

"What the fuck did you think she was going to do?" Rick asked.

"Rick calm down!"

Turner and Rick turned to look at Frank in the doorway. Frank glared at Turner as he sat down across the table from him.

"Tell me everything from the beginning." He said.

"Look, she called me and asked about the case. I told her that she couldn't report anything that I told her; that it was just between her and me." Turner said, "I had overheard Sergeant Stetler talking to you about the case and the governor."

"And you thought that a reporter calling you wouldn't use that as a story?" Frank asked, "Are you stupid for real?"

"Well yeah, she... we are friends." Turner shrugged.

"Erica Sykes doesn't have friends. She only has people she uses to get stories so she can show her ugly face on TV." Frank said, "You could have cost Lieutenant Caine his life because you're so damn stupid."

"I'm sorry, I just... I-I thought I could trust her." Turner sighed.

"Friend or no friend, you can't talk about cases with reporters or anyone else." Rick said, "IAB deals with a lot of sensitive cases and we don't tell anyone outside of IAB about it."

Turner at least had the decency to look ashamed. Frank left while Rick told Turner what would happen now. Stetler believed in second chances, but it was up to the Chief to decide if Turner got to keep his job. Stetler decided to suspend Gary Turner for now, without pay.

While Rick and Frank had been talking to Turner, Ryan was talking to Erica. He walked up to her just as she was about to be live on TV outside of the lab.

"Hey Sykes!" Ryan called out, "You are the most selfish person in the world; did you know that?"

All the cameras and reporters focused on Ryan and Erica.

"That's sweet of you to say, Detective Wolfe." Sykes smirked.

"You could have cost Lieutenant Caine his life." Ryan said, "Because of your report that the governor decided not to release Mister Reardon from jail, Missus Reardon dumped him in a ditch in the rain and then escaped. We could have caught her if you hadn't done your report and just kept your mouth shut for once."

"Detective Wolfe-"

"No you shut up and listen! All you think about is getting our face on TV; you don't care if somebody dies because of it. Lieutenant Caine could have _died_ because of _you_. We were trying to catch Missus Reardon but because of you we couldn't."

"What do you want me to say?" Sykes said, blushing because everyone was able to see the confrontation on TV.

"You can start by apologizing." Ryan said, "Lieutenant Caine is a father. You could have made someone a single-parent today. You should focus more on other people and less about yourself."

Ryan turned and walked back to the lab. Erica Sykes turned towards her cameraman and had the decency to apologize for her behavior; although it was unlikely that she would change.

**-I-**

"What's wrong with him?" Mac asked worried.

Sheldon had to literally pull Mac away from Horatio as Doctor Pines and the nurses tried to help his lover. Horatio was moaning and writhing on the bed; holding his abdomen. His heart beat was irregular and he even cried out in pain sometimes.

"I think he's bleeding into his abdomen." Doctor Pines said and turned to a nurse, "Call the OR and tell them he has to have emergency surgery right now!"

"Bleeding?" Mac exclaimed.

Sheldon finally got the older man out of the room and soon after Doctor Pines and the nurses wheeled Horatio out and quickly went to the elevator to take him to surgery. Mac kicked a bench and sat down. Sheldon patted his back.

"He'll be okay." He said.

"He was doing so well. One minute he was awake and looking at me, then he suddenly started groaning in pain." Mac said, "He was fine and now... now this."

"They'll find what's wrong and fix it. He will be fine again Mac." Sheldon said.

A setback was never fun or good, but Sheldon firmly believed that Horatio would recover from it in no time. Mac sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I want to see the twins." He said, "I have to see them."

"Alright, we'll go to Alexx." Sheldon said.

He knew that seeing Caylee and Noah would make Mac feel better. The twins could always lift his spirit. And Mac also needed to get out of the hospital for a while. Horatio would be in surgery for a few hours anyway.

**-I-**

Missus Reardon was so satisfied with herself. She had no idea if Horatio had been found yet, she had been too busy boarding the small aircraft that she had rented in her mother's maiden name. She had been flying for a while and even stopped to fill up the gas at a very small airport in northern Florida. Nobody had even noticed her.

Now she was almost in New York. She would land at a small airport in New York and from there she had rented a private jet and two pilots, with her husband's money, that would take her to the Bahamas. The best part about her plan was that nobody knew about it. Even if the Miami team found out that she had rented a plane they would be too late to stop her now.

"Ah, here we are." She said to herself as she saw the airport she would land at.

She turned the plane and started going down. She wasn't a particularly good pilot, but she found that as she was now flying her skills were quite good. Maybe it was because she had managed to finish the job and was so happy with it.

Even with the dogs, she was sure that the cops wouldn't find Horatio. She had noticed the rain shortly after she had heard the dogs in the woods and if her internet sources were right, then a little rain could made the dogs lose track of Horatio's scent.

She sure hoped that he was dead. Maybe they had found him and he had passed away in the hospital. Maybe he was in a coma; it was better than being awake even though she preferred that the redhead was good and deceased.

She landed the plane and smiled widely. She hummed happily as she left her pilot seat and opened the airplane's door. She took a deep breath of fresh air as she stood on the top step of the stairs and looked towards New York City. Then she started climbing down the steps.

_**Please review!**_


	31. Chapter 31

**Thanks very much for the all the reviews!**

Mrs. Reardon smiled as she stepped down on to the ground. She had never been to New York before and unfortunately she didn't have time to stop and go sightseeing. She had to leave the country fast. She saw the private plane she had rented and walked towards it. To her surprise she couldn't see any pilots. As she thought about it and looked around she noticed that the only person there was herself; yet the engine of the plane was running.

She started getting worried; had the team already caught up with her? The stair to the plane was down and she started climbing the steps up to the door. All the time she looked over the shoulder expecting to see Mac Taylor there with a gun; he would have a very good reason to shoot her.

She opened the plane door and looked right into the barrel of a gun.

"Hello Mrs. Reardon, we've been waiting for you."

Mrs. Reardon heard the sirens behind her and the commotions as New York's finest surrounded the plane. The gun that was aimed at her face belonged to none other than Stella Bonasera.

"Put your hands above your head and get down on the floor." Stella said.

Mrs. Reardon knew that there was no point in trying to escape so she did what she was told. The frustration at having been caught filled her on the inside; she had made it all the way to New York and now she was arrested.

"What happened to my pilots?" She asked.

"They got a conscience and called us." Stella said and she lifted Mrs. Reardon off the ground.

Once they climbed down the steps Mrs. Reardon was handed over to Danny and Don, whom were happy to take her to a holding cell.

"I'll call Sheldon and tell him the good news." Stella said.

"Do that. We'll take this... animal to a cell." Danny growled.

Mrs. Reardon rolled her eyes and sighed as she was lead away.

"Finally she's caught." Lindsay sighed in relief.

Lindsay wasn't really supposed to be out on the field since she was pregnant, but they had needed as many people as they could to bring Mrs. Reardon to the place she belonged.

"And we're going to make sure she stays where she belongs too. She's not getting away this time." Stella said.

**-I-**

It felt like it had been years since he had taken a walk through the park with the twins, but now Mac was doing it again. His lover was out of surgery, but still heavily medicated so he wasn't awake yet, and Mrs. Reardon had finally been caught. Mac felt good.  
>The two-month-old twins were asleep in their stroller; according to Alexx and her husband they had had a very difficult time sleeping when Mac hadn't been around. Mac felt guilty for not looking after his children, even if everyone had told him that he didn't have to feel guilty about it. He was going to make it up to them and he was starting now. The twins would accompany him to the hospital later when he went back to his lover.<p>

The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud on the sky. Mac wasn't rushing either; instead walking slowly to make sure he took a long time to spend with his son and daughter. Of course, he missed Horatio during his walk too, but knowing that his lover was now healing and that there were no more surprises in store made him feel happy anyway. He and Horatio could take many, many walks through the park later.

It would take a long time before his lover completely recovered, but that was okay. If Mac knew his precious redhead right, then he'd have to fight with him to make Horatio do as the doctor ordered. Everybody knew that the redhead didn't like anything to take too long and if his recovery was wasting his time, as he would put it, then he would force himself to work too hard to get better quicker, that way he would also risk a setback. Mac was pretty confident that he could make the redhead go slow though; after all he was a marine and was used to stubborn people like Horatio.

**-I-**

Mrs. Reardon was seated in an interrogation room at NYPD. Don and Stella were going to interview her, although there wasn't much to ask considering they already knew what she had done and the Miami CSIs could prove it.

"You're lucky that you came this far you know." Don said, "You're lucky that you were able to hide in Miami and find a partner that would do exactly what you wanted. Jimmy didn't even see it coming when you killed him, did he?"

"Can you prove that I killed him?" Mrs. Reardon asked.

"Yeah, we can." Stella said, "The only other person in the house were you kept Horatio captive was Horatio and we're pretty sure he was incapable of murdering Jimmy."

"Especially since you electrocuted and tortured him." Don said.

"Then there's also the fact that the Miami CSIs found the murder weapon with your prints on it." Stella said.

"It would have been too badly burnt to get fingerprints off." Mrs. Reardon said.

"It's amazing what today's technology can do." Don said.

"The handle of the knife would have melted and destroyed any prints." Mrs. Reardon said.

"I never said it was knife." Stella smirked, it had been almost too easy to get Mrs. Reardon to fall into that trap, "I said it was a weapon."

Mrs. Reardon rolled her eyes. Of course she knew that there was too much evidence against her for her to ever be able to be free again. But at least she could try to see exactly how much information the New York CSIs had on her.

"Jimmy was useless." Mrs. Reardon said.

"And you killed him, then blew up the house and hoped that the Miami team would think it was Horatio." Don said.

"Yes." Mrs. Reardon sighed, feeling bored.

"Well, lucky for us dental records proved that it wasn't Horatio." Dons said, "You're facing attempted murder on a police officer, kidnapping, illegal purchase of a gun and possession of an unlicensed weapon."

"And I'm sure that when Horatio gives his statement we can add a few charges as well." Stella said.

"That man ruined my life!"

"No, you did that to yourself!" Don said, "Your husband was guilty of murder, he even confessed, so don't blame Horatio and his team for something that your husband did all by himself."

"That bitch deserved to die." Mrs. Reardon growled.

"Your husband killed your maid because she refused to sleep with him and you think she deserved to die?" Don asked, "What are you smoking?"

"Don." Stella said, "Mrs. Reardon, you could have moved on with your life and enjoyed your freedom, instead you chose to go after Horatio. Now you have to pay for it."

Mrs. Reardon snorted. In her eyes Horatio was responsible for putting her husband in jail; a place he didn't belong. It didn't matter to her that her husband had confessed to murder, she would still stand by his side and still not admit that he belonged in jail.

"I will hired the best lawyer in the country and he will make sure none of the evidence is useful in court." Mrs. Reardon said.

"No lawyer in the world can do that. The case is airtight." Don said, "You should be proud of yourself for being so stupid to not even trying to hide the fact that you're behind all of this."

"I am proud."

"Of almost murdering someone. You're as bad as your husband." Stella said, "And like him, you will never see the outside of a cell again."

"Tell me, when I go to jail...will I get a cell made for the rich?" Mrs. Reardon asked.

"Get her out of here." Stella growled.

Mrs. Reardon's laughter echoed through the hallways as she was lead back to her cell. Don and Danny were going to drive her personally to jail when it was time. Stella sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Anything new about Horatio?" Don asked.

"He's come out of surgery. He's doing a lot better." Stella smiled, "Mac is feeling better too."

"I can imagine he does." Don smiled, "They've been through so much. Finally they can catch a break."

"I hope nothing more happens to them; at least nothing bad." Stella said.

"Yeah, me too."

**-I-**

Mac watched as his lover stirred and slowly started to wake up. The twins were asleep in their stroller by the foot of the bed. Sheldon was buying coffee and giving Mac some time alone with the redhead.

"Mac?" Horatio whispered.

"I'm here, love." Mac smiled.

He brought a glass of water with a straw to his lover's lips and Horatio drank slowly. He cleared his throat and opened his eyes to look at the brunette. Mac grinned and bent down to give his lover a kiss on the cheek. Horatio smiled and yawned.

"I was told I would have to go through physical therapy because of my injuries." Horatio sighed.

"Yes, your arm muscles are damaged." Mac said, "Physical therapy will help you recover your strength in them."

"Damn." Horatio whispered.

"It'll be okay. The doctor thinks you will recover completely, it will only take some time." Mac smiled.

"I guess I'll manage." Horatio said.

"You will." Mac said and gave his lover another kiss.

"I love you." Horatio whispered.

"I love you too."

They heard some cooing and Horatio grinned. He looked at Mac and the look in his eyes told him everything Mac needed to know. Mac went to the stroller and picked up Caylee, while Noah was still asleep.

Caylee cooed and smiled when she was put down next to Horatio. She looked at her father.

"Hi." Horatio smiled.

Mac could see that Horatio was having a difficult time staying awake. But he was also sure that seeing the twins would make him feel better and motivate him to go through the physical therapy and do what the doctor said.

"I missed you." Horatio whispered and looked at Mac, "All of you."

"We've missed you too." Mac smiled, "Mrs. Reardon was caught in New York by the way."

"New York?" Horatio asked surprised, "What was she doing there?"

Although Horatio was tired Mac told him a quick version of what had happened and why Mrs. Reardon had gone to New York. When Mac was done Caylee was asleep and Horatio was fighting to stay awake.

"You should sleep." Mac smiled, "Caylee can stay beside you."

"Okay." Horatio smiled and looked down at his daughter.

"Sweet dreams." Mac whispered.

"With you here that will be no problem." Horatio grinned.

Mac smiled and kissed his lover's cheek as he fell asleep.

_**Please review!**_


	32. Chapter 32

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Mac tried to comfort his lover as he tossed and turned in his sleep. He embraced the older man and said soothing words to him. Horatio was sweating and whimpering. He would occasionally shout out words too. Mac hated to see the redhead to upset and wished he could take the nightmares away.

Horatio had always suffered from nightmares ever since he was a kid, due to a violent childhood and an abusive father. But since he had met Mac his dreams had been more pleasant and he rarely had bad dreams anymore. Horatio had had nightmares just after the kidnapping, but then they had stopped. Until two weeks ago when they had found out that the trial against Missus Reardon had been set to start today.

Mac, together with the team and Horatio had been called to witness. Missus Reardon's lawyer was one of the best in the state, Spencer Campbell. However, Campbell knew that there was no way he would win the case and the reason he was even going along with having a trail was because Missus Reardon had paid good money for it.

"No!" Horatio screamed and bolted up in a sitting position.

"It's okay." Mac said.

The redhead lied down again panting. It was always the same dream; Mac and the twins were kidnapped by Missus Reardon and she had bombs strapped to their bodies. Horatio would always be incapable of moving in the dream and thus failing to save his family.

"I'm not going with you today." Horatio said.

Horatio was supposed to testify next week. Mac and Frank were testifying today.

"I know." Mac said, "You should stay home. We have two little ones and a ginger monster that will need you."

Horatio smiled. He wasn't sure if he could face Missus Reardon again. Not many people knew it; but the kidnapping and torture had affected Horatio more than he cared to admit. He had been genuinely scared for his life; something he rarely was in other situations. Missus Reardon had gotten under his skin and Horatio wasn't sure how to handle it.

He closed and opened his fists. He had been going through physical therapy since he had woken up in the hospital two months ago. Two months and almost all of his strength had returned. He would most likely suffer from pain in his arms for the rest of his life though; it would come and go the Doctor had said. Horatio had a little ball that he squeezed to train his muscles; he found that it also helped to relieve stress.

Through the baby monitor they heard the twins cooing. Horatio sat up to get out of bed, but was pushed down by Mac.

"They don't need us yet. They'll let us know when they do." Mac said.

Horatio nodded and smiled. Mac grinned and slid down under the covers. Horatio gasped when he felt his lover wrap a hand around his member; it instantly hardened and Horatio moaned.

"Mm, Mac."

Horatio closed his eyes and arched his back when Mac's mouth enveloped the head of his erection. Mac hummed and his tongue swirled around the rigid shaft. He knew his lover needed to unwind and this one way of doing it.

"Uh Mac."

Horatio reached hand down under the covers and grabbed his lover's hair. Mac let the redhead's length slip all the way into his warm mouth and with one hand he fondled his balls. Horatio's thigh and abdominal muscles tightened and he rolled his hips as pleasure overwhelmed him.

"Oh yes, Mac!"

Mac could taste the pre-cum already and let his teeth gently grace the sensitive skin, causing Horatio to arch his back and cry out. Mac knew that his lover was close and he started sucking faster to bring him over the edge.

"Ah, god!"

Horatio could feel his orgasm building up all the way from his toes; he was panting and sweating and with his free hand gripping the sheet hard.

"Mac, I'm so close."

Mac moaned and let his tongue swirl around the head of Horatio's manhood; he could feel the length twitch and his lover's body tense. It wouldn't be long now, he knew.

"Mac!"

Horatio cried out and came; Mac swallowed everything and continued sucking his lover's member until Horatio calmed down after his orgasm. Mac then slid up towards the redhead's lips and kissed him deeply.

"Did I say good morning to you?" Mac asked.

"I think you just _showed_ me a good morning." Horatio smiled, "But nevertheless, good morning."

"Good morning, love."

A loud cry came over the baby monitor and told the two fathers that now their twins were tired of waiting for them.

"I think they're trying to tell us that we need to leave the bed." Horatio said.

"Or maybe they just want to watch TV." Mac shrugged.

Horatio laughed and kissed his lover before climbing out of bed. Mac watched his naked lover put on boxers and sweatpants.

"You are so sexy in the morning." Mac said.

"You mean I am less sexy in the afternoon or evening?" Horatio teased.

"No, but you are_ extra_ sexy in the morning." Mac grinned and then got out of bed as his lover left to tend to the twins.

**-I-**

Rebecca Nevins was the state attorney in the case against Missus Reardon and she had warned the team that Spencer Campbell would be asking stupid or nasty questions. It was his only shot at trying to give the jury some sort of a picture that Missus Reardon was a sweet, innocent woman incapable of understanding what she had done. Campbell had to try and discredit the team somehow and he wasn't afraid of asking rude questions to do it.

Frank wasn't afraid though; he had met lawyers like Campbell before and he knew the drill. While Frank was giving his testimony, Mac and Calleigh were watching. The rest of the team had to work and Horatio was home with the twins and Elvis.

"Why wasn't Lieutenant Caine put in a safe house after you found out that Missus Reardon had allegedly asked to buy a gun with a silencer?" Campbell asked.

"Lieutenant Caine and Mac Taylor didn't want to leave their home. They wanted to live as normal of a life as they could." Frank said.

"So what protection did they have?"

"They had two officers outside the house at all times." Frank said.

"Why couldn't the MDPD find Missus Reardon before she kidnapped Lieutenant Caine?"

"Objection!" Rebecca said, "Why is this relevant?"

"It shows how competent the MDPD is and it's a simple question regarding the investigation." Campbell said.

"I'll allow the question." Judge Bertha Hicks said.

"So Sergeant Tripp, why couldn't you locate Missus Reardon?" Campbell asked again.

"She was good at hiding. She kept her face hidden as much as possible and rented a car and plane in her mother's name so she could leave the country and we couldn't track her." Frank said.

"That was not in the first police report." Campbell said, "Why?"

"When we first questioned the man at the rental car shop he didn't have the rental contract that Missus Reardon had signed." Frank said.

"And according to him he had barely seen her face either, so how did he know it was her?" Campbell asked.

"When we showed him a photo of Mrs. Reardon he recognized her." Frank said.

"Her picture was all over the news, why hadn't he recognized her earlier?"

"You have to ask him."

"Why didn't you ask him that?" Campbell asked, "Isn't it possible that he simply said that it was Missus Reardon to please the police?"

"No, Mrs. Reardon had rented the exact kind of car that we found burned to crisps, besides the tire treads matched from outside the house." Frank said.

"But that could have been someone else's car; anyone could have driven past the house before Missus Reardon and left thoe tire treads." Campbell said, "Isn't it also possible that the car had been rented by someone else and set one fire by someone other than Missus Reardon?"

"No."

"So maybe then the rental guy recognized Missus Reardon right away, but just didn't call the cops." Campbell said, "Or maybe he made it all up?"

"No." Frank said.

Campbell knew that he really had nowhere to go with the evidence. Missus Reardon had after all called the lab herself and demanded her husbands' release and confessed to kidnapping Horatio; no one would be stupid enough to believe that she was innocent. Campbell was just trying to make a fool out of the MDPD.

"Missus Reardon found out that her husband wasn't getting released through the news before you were supposed to bring him to her, correct?" Campbell asked.

"Yes." Frank said.

"You did not know this when she called after the three hours she had given had run out and she gave directions to where she wanted her husband to be dropped off?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"We had not yet seen the news report where Miss Sykes revealed the governor's decision not to release Mr. Reardon." Frank said.

"So you don't watch the news then?"

"Objection! This has nothing to do with the case; it is irrelevant to the crimes Missus Reardon has committed." Nevins said.

"It is not!" Campbell said, "Isn't it relevant if the cops working on a kidnapping case of one of their own watches the news and thereby finds out that Sykes practically ruined their idea of trying to fool Missus Reardon?"

"Overruled, Mr. Campbell it is not relevant." Judge Hicks said.

Campbell sighed and Nevins smirked.

"Sergeant Tripp, why did the CSI team decide to dress you up as Mr. Reardon and trick Missus Reardon?" Campbell asked.

"We were hoping that she would fall for it long enough for the SWAT team to get inside the house and arrest her and save Lieutenant Caine." Frank said.

"But it failed, because?"

"Because she had seen the report and knew that I wasn't her real husband." Frank said, "She had also placed a bomb in the house that killed two SWAT members and made it look like the body of Jimmy Warrens was Horatio."

"Nothing further." Campbell sighed.

**-I-**

Four month old Caylee squealed with delight as she rolled over on to her back. She wasn't yet capable of rolling back on to her stomach though, but every time Horatio put her on her stomach she would roll over. Noah hadn't yet figured out how to do like his sister, but since every baby developed differently Horatio and Mac weren't too worried about it.

Horatio looked at the time and knew that Mac would soon have to testify. Horatio had a sick feeling in his stomach; he had no appetite and had trouble sleeping. He hadn't thought that the trial would be so hard on him, but not having to worry about it for the past two months had made him push away certain feelings that he should have probably worked through.

He had been so busy with his physical therapy and talking about what he had gone through in the house that he had forgotten about what he thought about the trial.

"You think she's an amateur don't you, Elvis?" Horatio asked.

The ginger cat looked at Caylee rolling over; he had been observing her closely ever since she had started doing it about a week ago. Elvis finally jumped down from the living room couch and lied down in front of the baby girl.

Horatio got the video camera because he sensed that something was going to happen. And he was right, the moment he started recording Elvis rolled over at the same time as Caylee; as if he was trying to teach her.

Caylee squealed and grabbed Elvis's tail; the cat hit her hand as gently as he could with his paw, but she didn't let go. Elvis meowed and then lied down in front of her again. Horatio put Caylee on her stomach and sure enough she rolled over and so did Elvis.

"Good job buddy." Horatio chuckled and turned off the camera, "You teach her how it's done."

**-I-**

Mac knew that Campbell was trying to make him look like a bad father because he hadn't taken much care of the twins during Horatio's kidnapping. Mac would always feel a bit guilty about it, but he also knew that the team was right; Horatio had needed him more at the time than the twins had.

"So when you arrived home and found the two officers dead outside the house you rushed inside anyway?" Campbell asked.

"Yes." Mac said.

"And you found the twins but not your lover?"

"Yes."

"You ran inside without a gun?"

"Yes." Mac said.

"Why?"

"Because my only thought at the time was to find my lover and my children. To make sure that they were okay." Mac said.

"But then you ignored the twins." Campbell accused.

"Objection! Mr. Taylor did not ignore the twins because he tried to find his missing lover. This accusation is purely rude and disrespectful." Nevins said.

"Withdrawn." Campbell said, "Mr. Taylor did it ever occur to you that Missus Reardon could have been waiting for you to shoot you?"

"Yes, but she had also made it perfectly clear that she never wanted to harm me or the twins; only Horatio." Mac said.

"But according to Lieutenant Caine's statement she threatened to shoot your daughter." Campbell said, "So she was willing to shoot a baby to make him go with her and you don't think she would have shot you if she needed to?"

"She probably would have, but she had got what she had come for." Mac said.

"Why do you think she was willing to kidnap Lieutenant Caine and then let him go in return for her husband's release?" Campbell asked.

"She wouldn't have let Horatio go. She would have killed him anyway, either that day or later." Mac said.

"Are you sure?" Campbell asked.

"Objection! This is not about questioning Mr. Taylor about what he thinks about Missus Reardon, it's about what happened during the kidnapping." Nevins said.

"But what he thinks of my client is vital to his actions." Campbell said.

"I'll allow it." Judge Hicks said.

"So, are you sure that she would have killed Lieutenant Caine anyway?" Campbell asked.

"Yes."

"How?"

"I've been a cop for many years and I know how people like Missus Reardon are." Mac said.

Campbell nodded and paced for a while. Mac watched him and glanced for a second towards Missus Reardon; she was smiling proudly as if she expected to be set free.

"During the case you didn't take care of the twins did you?" Campbell asked.

"Objection! Why is this relevant?" Nevins asked.

"I'm finding out what kind of a man Mac Taylor is." Campbell said.

"Allowed." Judge Hicks said.

"Did you take care of the twins?" Campbell asked.

"Not the way I should have no." Mac admitted.

"Why?"

"I was trying to find my lover and I had family and friends that could take care of the twins for me." Mac said.

"Doesn't that make you a bad father?"

"Objection! That's an accusation that has no relevance to this trial." Nevins said.

"Overruled." Judge Hicks said.

"Nothing further." Campbell said.

As Campbell sat down Rebecca Nevins stood up and approached the stand.

"Lieutenant Caine suffered a lot during the time Missus Reardon was missing right and when she started sending threatening letters to him?" Nevins asked.

"Yes."

"You said in a statement that you saw it as mental torture, correct?" Nevins asked.

"Yes."

"But Lieutenant Caine stayed strong and you both refused to let her ruin your life, yes?"

"Correct." Mac said.

"So it is fair to say that Lieutenant Caine is a strong man?"

"Absolutely."

Nevins continued asking questions to make it clear that Mac and Horatio were the victims and that they were both strong, she also asked questions regarding the motives behind Missus Reardon's crimes.

Next Horatio's doctor was questioned about Horatio's injuries, then Missus Reardon and finally the trial was over for the day.

**-I-**

"You think the jury will see that she's the bad guy- woman?" Horatio asked.

He and Mac were lying in bed later that night talking about the trial.

"Yeah. It's impossible for Campbell to make her appear as the victim or the innocent woman that was unaware of the seriousness of what she did." Mac said, "You should have seen it today when she played innocent and Nevins pointed out that she shot four police officers point blank, stabbed Jimmy Warrens to death and made a bomb that killed two SWAT members."

"That made her shut up didn't it?" Horatio grinned.

"Oh yeah, she and Campbell had nothing to say against that." Mac smirked.

"I just wish that this would be over." Horatio sighed.

"It will be, love." Mac said and embraced the redhead, "It will be."

_**Please review!**_


	33. Chapter 33

**Thanks for all the reviews!**

A week had passed since the trial had started and the day for Horatio's testimony had arrived. Horatio hadn't gotten any sleep that night and he was patiently waiting for his turn to come in the courtroom. The trial was set to end the next day and Missus Reardon's lawyer, Campbell, was doing his best to make all of Nevins's witnesses seem incompetent.

Campbell knew he was losing, but at least he tried his best to either get Missus Reardon acquitted or sentenced to an institution for the mentally insane; it was better than jail. The worst thing that could happen was if Mrs. Reardon was sentenced to death. Personally Campbell disliked cop killers and Missus Reardon had killed 6 cops. He was just doing his job as he stood in court and tried to defend her.

Horatio was eventually called as a witness and Nevins started with asking him questions regarding the kidnapping and torture that he had had to endure from Missus Reardon. When Nevins was done it was Campbell's turn to question Horatio.

"So you willingly went along with Missus Reardon after she showed up at your house?" Campbell asked.

"Yes."

"Because she threatened to shoot your daughter?"

"Yes."

"But still, you _willingly_ went with her?"

"I don't think I had-"

"Answer yes or no, please." Campbell said.

"Yes I went with her." Horatio said.

"Why didn't you fight her? A strong man like you could have probably wrestled her to the ground in no time." Campbell said.

"She was holding a gun to my daughter's head." Horatio said.

"But you could have fought anyway. Weren't you willing to fight for your daughter's life?"

"Objection! That is not relevant." Nevins said.

"Overruled." Judge Hicks said.

"During the time in the house where Missus Reardon supposedly tortured you-"

"Objection! Supposedly? Evidence clearly shows that Missus Reardon tortured Lieutenant Caine." Nevins said.

"No, it's his word against Missus Reardon." Campbell said.

"During her phone call to the lab the sound of the Lieutenant being electrocuted was heard by his team and lover." Nevins said.

"But that could have been done by Jimmy Warrens." Campbell pointed out.

"Who just so happens to be dead thanks to your client!"

"Counselors!" Judge Hicks growled, "I'll allow Mr. Campbell to continue."

"Thank you." Campbell said and turned his attention back to Horatio, "So in the house where Missus Reardon _supposedly_ tortured you, were you tied to a chair?"

"No." Horatio said.

"So you could have run?"

"No."

"No?"

"She had tortured me; she had electrocuted me and cut me with a knife." Horatio said, "I could barely keep my eyes open."

"A man like you, a man that stares down criminals at the PD, can't even fight a woman like Missus Reardon long enough to knock her out and escape?" Campbell asked.

"Objection! He's trying to ridicule Lieutenant Caine; who, may I remind you, is a victim." Nevins said.

"Overruled." Judge Hicks said.

"When you and Missus Reardon were running through the woods, you never tried to fight her away." Campbell said.

"Is that a question?" Horatio asked.

Campbell smirked, "Why didn't you try to fight her then?"

"Again, I had been tortured for three hours." Horatio said, beginning to get very angry and losing his patience to witness anymore.

"Did Jimmy Warrens participate in the torture?" Campbell asked.

"No."

"My client says he did all of it."

"She's lying."

"Really? I was told that you couldn't remember much of the torture; you remember leaving the house and getting electrocuted _once_, then you remember running in the woods and waking up in the hospital, correct?" Campbell asked.

"Correct."

"So isn't it _possible_ that Jimmy Warrens did most of the torture?" Campbell asked.

"Yes." Horatio sighed.

"Nothing further." Campbell said and sat down again.

Horatio left the stand and went straight out of the court room. Mac and Frank followed him. They found Horatio in the men's room where he was throwing up. Mac knelt beside his lover and rubbed his back.

"It's over now." He whispered.

"How dare that asshole try to make it seem as if Missus Reardon didn't torture you?" Frank growled, "Everybody knows she did it!"

"Frank he's just doing his job." Mac said, although he too was very angry at Campbell for disrespecting his lover like that.

"He's right." Horatio sighed, "It's my word against Missus Reardon and I can't remember even half of what happened."

"For all we know Jimmy Warrens was dead half of the time too and not able to torture you." Frank said.

Alexx had not been able to tell exactly when Jimmy Warrens had died due to the trauma his body had endured in the explosion.

"Horatio, we're going out to eat tonight." Mac said.

"We are?"

"Yeah, I already asked Calleigh and Eric to babysit the twins."

"You two need some alone time." Frank said, "I'll be going back to the courtroom now, take care Horatio."

"Thanks, Frank." Horatio said.

Horatio rested his head against Mac's shoulder and sighed. Tomorrow it would all finally be over. Tomorrow Missus Reardon would get her conviction.

**-I-**

Eric was waiting for Ryan to come over and help him with the twins. Calleigh had been called into work and Eric had found himself unable to entertain the little ones. They just stared at him like he was the weirdest thing they had ever seen. So, feeling helpless, Eric had called Ryan.

There was a knock on the door and Eric went to open it. Ryan stepped inside and the two men went to the living room. Caylee and Noah were in their car seats, (that Horatio and Mac had used to carry them from the car to the Delko and Duquesne household). Ryan knelt down in front of Noah and unstrapped him. The young boy cooed and smiled as his Uncle Ryan held him.

"What did you just do?" Eric asked, "When I picked them up an hour ago they started crying."

"I would too if you held me." Ryan teased.

"Funny." Eric snorted and picked Caylee up.

Caylee's lower lip started quivering and Eric started rocking her gently. When she started whimpering he looked desperately at Ryan.

"Help me out man." He said.

"Are they hungry maybe?" Ryan asked.

"Calleigh and I fed them when they arrived two hours ago." Eric said, "And they haven't yawned so far so I doubt that they're tired."

"Then they must be bored." Ryan shrugged.

He told Eric to go get a blanket and with a crying baby girl in his arms the older man did. Once the blanket was on the floor they put both babies down on it and Ryan grabbed one of the plush toys that their fathers had brought.

Noah seemed to love the plush dinosaur, but Caylee was still unhappy. She looked at Eric and Eric smiled at her. He started playing peek-a-boo, but that didn't work. Suddenly Caylee rolled over again and again. Eric grabbed her quickly and once he picked her up she started whimpering again.

"Put her down, she wants to roll." Ryan said.

"Mac said she hadn't learnt how to do that yet." Eric said and put Caylee down.

"Apparently she has." Ryan smiled, "Record it with your phone and send it to them."

Caylee kept on rolling and rolling and not only did she love it, but she was quick too. Noah had yet to learn how to roll over and was happy just lying on his stomach and lifting his chest up to watch Ryan play with the toy.

"She's quick!" Eric exclaimed, "Does she ever get tired of it?"

Caylee had been rolling around in the living room for thirty minutes now and Eric was beginning to get a little tired of keeping up with her. Ryan was trying to come up with ways to play with the plush toy so that he could entertain Noah.

Caylee cooed and then yawned.

"Finally, she's getting tired." Eric said, "Remind me not to get Calleigh pregnant."

"Oh come on, babies are fun." Ryan grinned and then felt something sticky touch his hands.

He looked down and grimaced at the smell.

"Oh my god." He said.

"What is that smell? It doesn't smell like a dirty diaper." Eric said.

"Yuck!" Ryan exclaimed and his OCD took over as he rushed to the bathroom to clean his hands.

"He threw up on you?" Eric asked.

"Yeah. Disgusting!" Ryan called from the bathroom.

"Good boy." Eric praised.

Noah just smiled. Eric wiped the boy's mouth clean and then looked around for Caylee. He panicked as he couldn't find her.

"Shit!" He said, "Um Ryan?"

"Yes?"

"You think Mac and H will kill us if we misplaced their daughter?"

Ryan came running from the bathroom.

"What did you do?"

"I don't know where she went." Eric said, "Could she have learnt to walk already?"

"Don't be stupid." Ryan said, "Caylee?"

"Ryan, she's not going to answer you, idiot." Eric said.

Noah watched as both men frantically searched for Caylee in the living room. They both froze when they heard someone giggling down the hall closer to the master bedroom. Eric hurried to the bedroom and found Caylee on her back at the door. He picked up her and sighed in relief.

"Found her." He said as he came back to the living room.

"How the hell did she get all the way there?" Ryan asked.

"There's a clear path from the living room to the bedroom; she just rolled." Eric said, "I am so not having kids; these two are giving me a heart attack and I've been babysitting for less than three hours."

**-I-**

Eric and Ryan looked dead on their feet when Mac and Horatio came to pick up their kids and take them home.

"You have fun?" Mac asked, "Thanks for the video by the way."

"You're welcome." Eric yawned.

"We don't know how you two do it." Ryan said, "How do you keep up with them?"

"We just do." Mac shrugged, "Don't tell me that two young men like yourselves are worn out after taking care of Caylee and Noah for just five hours?"

"Not at all." Ryan said, but then yawned.

"Right." Horatio chuckled.

They all said goodnight and Mac and Horatio put the twins in the car. The drive home was quiet; the twins were asleep in their car seats. When they arrived home they put Caylee and Noah in their cribs and then the two men snuggled up on the couch.

"I won't be able to sleep tonight." Horatio said.

"I think I can make you sleep." Mac smiled and kissed his lover's neck.

Horatio moaned and felt his lover's erection press against him as he was pinned to the couch.

"Mac, I really don't think I will be able to sleep tonight." Horatio said.

"Well, I look forward to the challenge of trying to make you do it." Mac smirked.

Horatio gasped when Mac's hand slid inside his trousers and stroked his hardening length.

"And if you fail you can just try again." Horatio moaned.

"Exactly." Mac smirked and kissed his lover.

**-I-**

"Having your husband sent to jail for a crime, a murder, can make anyone furious." Campbell said to the jury, "Mister Reardon is guilty of murder; but the difference between the murder he committed and the murders that Missus Reardon committed is that she was unaware of the seriousness of her crimes. She was blinded by rage and the trauma of losing the man she loves.."

Some jury members nodded and Nevins growled silently. She hoped that they wouldn't fall for what Campbell was saying.

"Missus Reardon is, for lack of a better word; crazy. She does not deny it. She lost herself at the same moment that her husband was convicted of murder." Campbell said, "And when someone goes through that they will blame someone else for the crime; in this case Missus Reardon believed that Lieutenant Caine was guilty for making her lose her beloved husband. Now, we all know that it is not his fault. Missus Reardon knows that now too. But at the time of the crimes she truly believed that Lieutenant Caine was to blame."

Nevins shook her head disgusted. Missus Reardon was crazy, but not crazy enough not to know what she had been doing. She just refused to accept the world didn't obey her and that she couldn't do whatever she wanted and get away with it.

"Missus Reardon feels deeply sorry what she has done; she wasn't thinking clearly and shouldn't have to spend the rest of her life in jail for it. Haven't you ever made a mistake? Everyone in this room has made a mistake at some point; some have made big mistakes and some small ones. But we all got a second chance and we all _deserve_ a second chance. Even Missus Reardon." Campbell said, "Now, I think that Missus Reardon needs help and you can give her that. You can set her free or recommend that she gets sentenced to spend some time in a mental institution; where she can get the help she needs. But she does deserve a second chance, right?"

Campbell turned to Nevins and nodded at her to show that it was her turn now. He sat down and Nevins stood up. She glanced at Horatio and Mac sitting behind her before focusing her attention at the jury.

"People do deserve second chances; but it depends on the seriousness of what they have done." Nevins said, "Missus Reardon is crazy, but she is _not_ so crazy that she didn't know what she was doing at the time of the crimes. A person that is insane can't plan such an act of revenge as she did."

Nevins was pleased to see som jury members nodding in agreement.

"The fact is that Missus Reardon is not only responsible for kidnapping and torturing Lieutenant Horatio Caine." Nevins said, "Missus Reardon made a plan and she _executed _six police officers and Jimmy Warrens. She made 9 children fatherless and three children left without a mother."

One of the SWAT members that had died in the explosion had been a single-mother; her children were now being raised by her parents.

"To plan that and to be able to do that without ever thinking of stopping and without any regret is not the work of an insane woman; it is the work of a cold-hearted woman with no right to a second chance. She took a total of 7 lives, almost 8. Does she really deserve a second chance?"

Nevins sat down again and the jury was told to deliberate. Missus Reardon was lead to a cell and she turned around and smirked wickedly at Horatio. Horatio just glared back at her. While the jury took their time to think about what to do, Mac and Horatio waited outside. Horatio refused to eat lunch and the team wanted to give the two lovers some alone time and left for a while. After thirty minutes Nevins approached them.

"You did a good job, Miss Nevins." Mac said and shook her hand.

"It's Rebecca and thank you." She smiled, "We will win this."

"The jury has been thinking for a long time." Horatio said.

"Well, there is probably one person agreeing with Campbell rather than me, but we will win Horatio." Nevins said.

"Thank you." Horatio said and also shook her hand.

Nevins went to get some lunch and the team came back. After one hour had passed everyone was finally let back inside the courtroom and the jury came back. When everyone was seated, Horatio grabbed Mac's hand and took a deep breath. Mac squeezed his lover's hand.

"Have the jury reached a verdict?" Judge Hicks asked.

"We have your honor." The chairman of the jury said, "We, the jury, find the defendant..."

_**Please review!**_


	34. Chapter 34

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

Two months had passed since the trial. Two months of complete peace and quiet. After being on paternity leave for six months Horatio was back at work. Although he was only working part-time now and the two days of the week when he wasn't working Calleigh was in charge.

Missus Reardon had gotten the worst sentence she could have; the death penalty. She was currently on death row and although it could take years before she met her last day, she had got what she deserved.

When Horatio stepped out of the elevator someone with blonde hair immediately jumped up in his arms and hugged him. Horatio was a bit stunned but eventually hugged back.

"Down, Calleigh, down." Eric grinned from the receptionist desk.

Calleigh stepped down on the floor and smiled at her boss. They all missed working with Horatio; even though everyone had visited him and Mac during his paternity leave it felt good to finally have Horatio in the lab again.

"It's nice to see you too Calleigh." Horatio smiled.

"It's good to have you back. We haven't changed anything in the lab either." Calleigh smiled.

"Sounds good." Horatio chuckled.

The rest of the team was waiting in the break room. They all shook hands or hugged Horatio when he entered the room. Even Frank was there to welcome his friend back to work. Another reason why it was good to celebrate the day was because Horatio's injuries were completely healed. He would forever have times of pain in his arms that would come and go, but he had a ball that he squeezed to make it better and to keep on training his arm muscles.

"I have an announcement to make from New York." Horatio said.

"Lindsay?" Calleigh asked.

Horatio nodded. Lindsay was pregnant with her and Danny's first child and she had now gotten her first contraction; just three weeks before she was due. Danny and Lindsay were nervous of course and a little scared, but they had great help from the New York team.

"It feels like it was ages ago since we had a new baby in the family." Ryan said.

"I couldn't agree more." Horatio said.

The twins were only six months old, but it felt like time had flown by. They were already starting to move around. Both Caylee and Noah could now roll over from their stomach to their backs and then over to their stomachs again. They had also figured out that if you lie on your tummy you can push forward with your legs and move.

"I am so glad that they're not crawling yet." Horatio said.

"Oh yeah, they are fast enough as it is." Eric said, remembering when Caylee had rolled around in his and Calleigh's apartment and he had worried she had disappeared when he had babysat her and Noah with Ryan. She had rolled from the living room to the bedroom in just a minute.

"Yeah, one minute they are right next to you and the next they've moved from the kitchen to the living room." Horatio said, "Let's get to work; tell me about your recent cases."

It felt good to be back. Horatio was already in his Lieutenant mode and after having a briefing with his team he got to sit down in his office chair again. He then remembered why he liked it so much; it was very comfy. He read through some mail and some reports that Calleigh hadn't yet looked through; he figured he might as well do it now that he was the boss again. He felt an aching pain in his chest though from missing his kids and Mac. He knew that it would get easier to leave them at home later, but in the beginning it was hard. Alexx had told him that she had gone through the same thing with her kids and Horatio guessed that Frank had as well.

**-I-**

Mac was making lunch and listening to Caylee and Noah rolling around on the kitchen floor. They seemed to almost be talking to each other too; sometimes they'd stop moving, look at each other and just make baby noises. Sitting up was also something they had both learned now, although Noah was a bit quicker with shifting from a lying position to a sitting one. Caylee was dangerously fast when it came to rolling and moving forward on her tummy. Mac had been forced to put up things that would block her path sometimes so he could do other things while they were awake without having to worry about where she had gone.

When lunch was ready Mac picked Noah up and put him in his chair. Noah grabbed a handful of food and tried to stick it in his mouth; most of it fell on his clothes. Caylee was not happy to be picked up and put in her chair; she cried and refused to eat. Mac shrugged and started feeding Noah, while also letting the boy try to eat by himself. He knew that if Noah ate then Caylee would eventually too. Five minutes later the girl grabbed her spoon and stuck her hand out to her father. Mac smiled and used his free hand to feed her; he had become very good at using both his hands now.

When the twins had ate they took a nap and while they slept Mac cleaned the dishes and read a book. Usually he would call Horatio and tease him over the phone, but he knew his lover would be busy on his first day back. The house seemed unusually quiet now and Mac soon started talking to Elvis just to feel like someone else was around that he could have a conversation with. He kind of liked the peace and quiet too though.

After two hours Noah and Caylee woke up and then it was time for a walk in the park. Mac and Horatio used to take the kids to the playground and sit them down in the sandbox. Both their son and daughter loved it there. Horatio and Mac didn't mind that their clothes got dirty either; they could always wash them and kids were supposed to have fun, not worry about keeping their clothes clean.

Caylee and Noah had also found a friend in 7 month Nathan. Mac and Horatio got along very well with Nathan's mom Denise too.

"I think I know who the boss is." Denise said.

She and Mac were sitting on the edge of the sandbox while their children played as well as they could at that age. Mostly it involved picking up sand and trying to figure out why it fell between their fingers or why they didn't manage to build a sand castle like some of the older kids had done once.

"Which one?" Mac asked.

"Caylee for sure."

"Yeah, she's a little tiger that one. Something tells me that she will be handful when she gets older and always be the one in charge." Mac smiled, "Horatio and I can't agree on whom she inherited it from."

"Because you're both the same way." Denise said.

"Yep." Mac chuckled, "How does Sammy take to being a big brother?"

Samuel, or Sammy as he was called, was Denise's older son. He was six and had not been fond of getting a little brother.

"He's beginning to like it. It's taken a long time, but I think he's realized that having a little brother can be quite fun." Denise said, "Especially when you're teaching them mischief."

Mac chuckled. The adults watched as Noah stared with wide eyes at Nathan when Nathan took a small plastic shovel from Noah. The young boy glanced at Denise and then at Mac, before grabbing the toy and taking it back; he then put the toy behind him where Nathan couldn't reach. Nathan looked unhappy at Noah before deciding that trying to grab Caylee's plastic rake was more fun.

**-I-**

Horatio had barely even made it inside when he was pinned against the door and kissed passionately.

"Um, what about Caylee and Noah?" Horatio asked.

"They're asleep." Mac whispered.

Mac dragged the older man to the living room couch and pushed him down on it. He rubbed their hardening manhoods against each other and then frantically pulled down Horatio's pants and boxers. Horatio's member was already rock hard and Mac bent down to take it into his mouth.

"Uh Mac!"

Horatio arched his back and ran his hands through his lover's hair as the younger man's tongue swirled around his shaft. Mac could already taste his lover's pre-cum and he licked it off before nipping at the head of his erection.

"Ah, fuck yes!"

Horatio closed his eyes and his body tensed. Mac then stopped and roughly pulled down his own pants.

"No underwear?" Horatio asked, "Sexy."

"I've been waiting for this all day." Mac smirked.

He straddled the redhead and quickly pushed his lover inside him. Horatio cried out and grabbed onto Mac's hips.

"Mac, lube?"

"I have already prepared." Mac moaned, "I told you I've been waiting. I've spend the last hour stretching myself."

"Hot." Horatio gasped, "I wish I coul have seen that."

Mac started riding his lover and moaned when he felt Horatio's nails dig into his hips. Horatio arched his back and thrusted into Mac's body. He gasped and started pulling Mac down harder onto his length.

"Mm, faster." Horatio moaned.

Mac started going faster and Horatio quickly pushed up into him every time Mac pushed down. Mac cried out as the redhead nudged his prostate with every thrust. They were both sweating and panting.

"Oh, Mac, uh!"

Mac braced himself against Horatio's chest and pinched his nipples; the older man cried out and his body started getting tense. Horatio could feel Mac starting go clench around his member and he thrusted faster to bring them both to climax.

Mac leaned back and arched his back as he felt his climax build fast. Horatio wrapped a hand around Mac's pulsating shaft and it was all it took to make Mac come; he shot his seed over Horatio's chest and as he clenched around the older man, Horatio came too and arched his back. They both moaned and stayed tense until their orgasms faded. Mac then collapsed against Horatio's sweaty and sticky chest.

"Remind me to try and work overtime some day and see what you do when I come then." Horatio panted.

"If you do that I might just have to go to the lab with the twins and have someone on the team watch them while we fuck in your office." Mac grinned.

"Mm, sounds like a wonderful idea." Horatio said, "Is that your phone or mine ringing?"

"Mine."

Mac reached over to the living room table for his phone.

"Mac." He answered.

"_Hi, it's Danny_."

"Hi Danny, what's going on?"

"_Well, I just wanted to let you know that you are now the godfather of a little girl_."

Mac could hear how happy Danny was; he was definitely on cloud nine.

"Really? Congratulations Danny." Mac smiled, "Danny and Lindsay had a girl." He told Horatio.

"Tell them I said congratulations." Horatio grinned.

Mac and Danny talked a while longer and then Danny sent a photo of the baby girl to Mac's phone.

"Aw, she's cute." Horatio smiled, "She looks just like Danny."

"I agree. Her name is either Lucy or Lydia, they haven't agreed on which one yet." Mac said.

"Either one is good." Horatio said.

Mac smiled and put the phone away. The twins were still asleep and he shifted a little on top of his lover.

"We should get married." Mac said.

"I thought we would wait until the twins were older."

"Yeah, but we can start planning." Mac smiled, "Do you want to marry me?"

"Of course I do." Horatio smiled, "Do you want to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

"Absolutely." Mac grinned and gave his lover a kiss.

"Then let's get married." Horatio smiled, "And let's keep it a secret."

_**Please review!**_


	35. Chapter 35

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

"Dada!"

Through the baby monitor Mac could hear his 11-month-old son calling for him. He yawned and climbed out of bed. It was early; too early for Mac's liking after having spent almost all night awake with a sick daughter; whom had the stomach flu. Horatio had been called in for work early and wasn't home.

Mac walked up the stairs to the nursery and was greeted with a huge smile from Noah. Caylee was still sleeping in her crib so Mac picked Noah up and went downstairs again. The twins had just recently started talking; their vocabulary mostly just containing the words "Dada", "yes" and "no". They did say other words sometime that sounded similar to the actual word though, "Ca" meant "Caylee" for example. While Mac quickly made breakfast Noah sat in his chair and played with a spoon; typical for the boy when he was bored. The twins' personalities had started becoming more noticeable over the last few months too.

Noah was calm, rarely got angry and never seemed to be in a hurry. He preferred to take his time with whatever he did and although some people used to say he wasn't a rule-breaker, he was exactly that. The difference between Noah and his sister when it came to breaking the rules and doing the opposite of what their fathers wanted was that Noah was calculating and patient enough to wait until nobody was expecting him to be disobedient before he actually did mischief.

Caylee was energetic, always the one in charge and the one more prone to having mood swings. She was also a little rascal; for being so young she sure knew how to disobey her fathers and be mischievous.

"Dada." Noah grinned as Mac put a plate of food down in front of him.

Mac helped his son eat a bit, but mostly he let Noah feed himself so he got used to it. People used to say that Noah was more like Mac with his personality and Caylee like Horatio. The redhead sure was more energetic than Mac and definitely more prone to mood swings, just like their daughter. Although Horatio did have patience he was not as patient as Noah and Mac.

"Ca!"

"Yeah, Caylee's awake." Mac smiled and ruffled his son's red hair.

So far both Caylee and Noah still had their red hair and it was not unusual for them to get a lot of attention because of it. Through the baby monitor Mac heard Caylee cooing and babbling quietly to herself. Mac hurried up the stairs to get her, completely forgetting that Noah was left alone with a plate of food.

"Hey there Caylee." Mac smiled.

He picked up his little girl and headed downstairs. Caylee was not her usual happy self and just put her head on Mac's shoulder as he carried her.

"I should have known." Mac said when he came downstairs and saw that Noah had pushed his plate down on the floor.

The boy looked innocently at him, but a small grin gave him away.

"You planned that." Mac said and shook his head, "It's too early for this Noah."

Noah giggled while Mac cleaned it up, still with Caylee in his arms. Whenever he tried to put her down she whimpered. After making sure Noah wasn't hungry anymore Mac helped his son brush his only tooth and get dressed. Caylee seemed happy enough to stay close to Mac by that point; as long as she was allowed to cling to his leg. Mac looked at the clock and yawned; it wasn't even seven in the morning yet.

**-I-**

"Tell me."

"No."

"Come on, tell me." Frank begged.

"No."

Frank sighed and slumped down on the guest chair across Horatio's desk. All day he had been pestering the redhead with questions about the barbeque invitations that he and the team had received.

"It just seems strange that you and Mac are inviting us to something that is seven months away." Frank said.

"Francis."

"I want to know why."

"I'm not telling you."

Frank growled and Horatio smirked. Mac and Horatio had decided to invite the Miami and New York team to a barbeque; what they didn't know was that before the party actually began they would watch their friends get married. Since homosexuality and male pregnancy was just as common as heterosexuality and female pregnancy, same-sex marriage was not illegal in any state.

"You didn't invite us this far ahead for the twins' birthday party." Frank said.

"We just want to be sure that everyone can come." Horatio said.

"Why is that so important?"

"We always want everyone to come."

"Yeah, but this time it's extra important." Frank said.

Horatio sighed and focused on reading a file. Frank eyed the redhead; he couldn't think of anything that was supposed to be celebrated in seven months. The twins' birthday was in just three weeks, Horatio had already celebrated his birthday, and Mac's birthday was two months away. The only one having a birthday even close to the barbeque was Ryan, but his birthday was still one week earlier.

"Please tell me if I'm forgetting an important date." Frank said, "Is it somebody's anniversary or birthday?"

"Nope."

"Then what is it?"

"Not telling you."

"Oh come on, pretty please?" Frank pleaded.

"No."

Frank pouted and picked up another file from a cold case. The team had had a case several years ago and it had gone cold after the killer had stopped murdering people; now it seemed that he was back and the case was now top priority.

There was a knock on the door and Eric peeked inside the office.

"H, we got another body." He said.

"This guy is working faster than before." Frank said, "Last time he was on a killing spree he was killing with one week apart."

"Now it's only been twelve hours. If he keeps this up we're going to have a hell of a time with the media and the higher ups." Horatio sighed, "I'll meet you in the garage, Eric."

The younger man nodded and left.

"We're going be to working late today aren't we?" Frank sighed.

"Afraid so."

"Damn."

"Yeah, well we need to solve this case quick. I'm not letting him get away again." Horatio said.

Last time the killer had murdered 9 people in as many weeks and then disappeared. He always left his DNA behind in form of saliva, but he wasn't in the system. When Horatio stood up and left his office, Frank followed.

"If his cooling off period is not the result of a jail sentence, then maybe he started a family." Frank said, "Or moved abroad."

"Right, if he was in the system we would have caught him by now." Horatio said, "But finding out how many people started families or moved away from Florida six years ago and recently moved back is a long list."

"Too long." Frank sighed, "I'll see if I can find anything in the old reports."

"Thanks Francis."

Horatio joined Eric in the garage and they got inside the hummer.

"Ryan and Calleigh are already at the scene." Eric said.

"Good."

"So you are going to tell me what this barbeque is about?"

"Oh, not you too!"

"What?" Eric smirked, "I'm just curious."

"My lips are sealed."

"Not for long; I heard Alexx is looking for you and she had some questions." Eric grinned, "You know that she has her special methods of getting the truth out of people."

"She'll have to find me first." Horatio muttered.

It had been Mac's idea to send out the invitations now; Horatio should have known it would seem suspicious and that his friends would only ask questions about it.

**-I-**

"I've been on the phone all day with Stella, Danny and Don." Mac said, "They've refused to hang up before I tell them why they have been invited to a barbeque already."

"I've had a similar day with my team." Horatio sighed and slumped down on the couch.

It was late and Horatio had been at work for fourteen hours. At least he had had dinner at home and then gone back to work. He had made it a habit to always come home for either lunch or dinner when he knew he would be working late; that way he got to spend some time with not only his lover but Noah and Caylee too.

Horatio lied down on his stomach on the couch and Mac straddled him, sitting on his butt. He started giving the redhead a massage and Horatio moaned.

"Thank you." He said.

"No problem."

"So how is Caylee today?"

"She's better, but not back to her usual self." Mac said, "She has a bit of a fever too."

"Well, if she is anything like us she'll be better in no time." Horatio smiled.

"_Your_ son decided to take full advantage of the situation though." Mac said.

"My son? _Our_ son you mean."

"No, today he's been your son all day." Mac smirked, "He pushed his food down on the floor when I went to get Caylee from their room, then he noticed that she refused to leave my side unless she was taking a nap, so what does he do?"

"Create chaos?"

"Yes." Mac sighed, "He pulled out all of our clothes from the closet, he painted a giraffe on the wall inside the nursery; at least I think it's a giraffe, and then he threw water at Elvis."

Mac could feel Horatio shaking as he tried not to laugh.

"I swear that boy plans these things for months ahed and just waits for the one day his sister gets sick so he can do this to me." Mac said.

"He's smart."

"He's an evil genius." Mac said, "And the worst part is that when he hears Caylee laughing at him as he does these things, it only triggers him to continue and do more."

"Well of course. He likes to entertain others." Horatio grinned, "You want me to stay home tomorrow and help out."

"No, you have a serial killer on your hands and the victims and their families need you."

"Well, my family needs me too."

"I can manage." Mac smirked, "I have a way of getting back at him."

"A shower?"

"You read my mind." Mac grinned wickedly.

It was a well known fact that Noah Taylor Caine absolutely hated to take showers; he apparently didn't like the water and every time he had to shower it was hell for his fathers. Hours of screaming and crying was usually the routine and once he had showered, Noah would stay mad at Horatio and Mac for the rest of the day.

"You're phone is ringing." Mac said.

Horatio reached into his pocket and got his phone. He answered without seeing who was calling.

"Caine." He said, "No Frank. For the last time I am not telling you what is so special about the barbeque!"

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	36. Chapter 36

**Thanks very, very much for the reviews!**

Horatio woke up to the sound of little footsteps coming down the stairs. From what he could hear in his sleepy state of mind it was only one child. A few seconds later a redheaded girl peeked inside with a smile and when she saw that her father was awake she walked over to his side of the bed. Caylee had recently started walking and she proved to be a quick learner. Noah was walking mostly by holding on to furniture and taking only three or four steps without support.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart." Horatio smiled.

Caylee grinned and hugged her father. Mac was still sleeping and Horatio put Caylee down between them. There was no sound coming from the baby monitor so most likely Noah was still asleep as well.

Today was the twins first birthday. It felt weird for Horatio and Mac that a year had already passed. Their twins were no longer newborn but toddlers, learning new things every day.

"Lucy is coming down today with Uncle Danny and Aunt Lindsay." Horatio said.

"Ucy." Caylee grinned.

Lucy was Danny and Lindsay's six month old daughter; Caylee adored her "cousin". Horatio and Mac had taken the twins on a road trip to New York when Lucy had been only three weeks old and Caylee had instantly taken a liking to the baby girl. Since then Horatio and Mac had been having video conversations on the computer with the young New York couple once a week and mostly it was to see Caylee trying to talk with Lucy. Noah was not very interested in Lucy, although he showed a huge amount of caring when she cried.

"You still tired?" Horatio asked when his daughter yawned.

Caylee rubbed her eyes and snuggled closer to Horatio. Horatio looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it wasn't even six in the morning yet.

"What are you doing up so early?" Horatio asked, "What is it with you and always waking up before seven in the morning?"

"She's like you." Mac mumbled and opened his eyes.

Mac bent down to give Caylee a kiss on the cheek and wish her happy birthday.

"I don't wake up before seven every day." Horatio said.

"You used to do it before we had kids." Mac reminded.

Horatio opened his mouth to protest when he realized that Mac was right. One reason why he didn't wake up so early anymore was not only because he had someone sleeping next to him that he loved, but because having two toddlers made both him and Mac more tired than before; but that is just part of having kids.

"I have to get up. I'm going to the airport to pick up the Messers." Mac yawned.

"I have to get started on baking a cake." Horatio said, "And setting the table for rest of our guests."

"They won't get here until two."

"Yes, but I'll have two kids and a cat interrupting me so it'll take longer."

"Good point." Mac said, "I'll bring Caylee with me, she'll want to meet Lucy anyway."

Horatio smiled and gave his lover a kiss before they both climbed out of bed. Mac took a shower first while Horatio started preparing breakfast for the twins. Caylee went upstairs and soon came down with a dress to show that it was what she felt she should wear. As Mac came out of the shower he heard Noah waking up through the baby monitor. He went upstairs to get his son, while Horatio took a shower and Mac took over feeding the children.

"Ucy." Caylee sang, "Ucy, ucy, ucy."

"Yes, Lucy's coming." Mac smiled.

"Biffay." Noah yawned.

"It's your birthday today." Mac smiled, "You two are going to get lots of present."

He wasn't sure if Caylee and Noah understood much of it but they grinned widely at the word "presents".

**-I-**

"Ucy!" Caylee exclaimed the moment she saw Lindsay with the baby carrier walking across the airport, "Ucy!"

Mac chuckled and hugged Lindsay when she approached him. Lucy was asleep, but that didn't stop Caylee from trying to climb up in Lindsay's arm and hug her cousin.

"Caylee, relax." Mac said and bent down next to his daughter, "She's sleeping."

He picked her up so she could see Lucy better; Caylee smiled and caressed Lucy's hair. The baby girl squirmed, but didn't wake up.

"So where did you leave your husband?" Mac asked.

Lindsay and Danny had gotten married just a few weeks before Lindsay had given birth to their child.

"He's picking up the luggage." Lindsay said, "He insisted that he could do it alone."

Just then Mac saw Danny carrying two bags that seemed quite heavy. The young man's hands were tightly gripping the handles and he was already panting from carrying them so far.

"How much did you pack?" He asked, "Hi Mac."

"Hi Danny."

"Just the essential stuff; diapers, some toys, clothes, presents." Lindsay shrugged.

"It feels like this is almost half of the apartment." Danny said.

"Too heavy for you?" Lindsay teased.

"Nah."

"Right." Mac chuckled and grabbed one of the bags.

Together they walked across the parking lot towards Mac's car. Since Mac and Horatio always had two car seats Lucy could borrow one while Caylee used the other one. Lindsay sat between them and Danny next to Mac in front seats.

"I forgot how humid it is down here." Lindsay said.

"How do you survive?" Danny asked.

"I'm used to it." Mac chuckled.

Once they arrived at the Caine/Taylor household Mac helped Danny carry the luggage inside; as soon as they opened the front door they were met by a Noah covered in flour.

"Horatio, what did you do to our son?" Mac asked.

"He did it to himself." Horatio called from the kitchen, "It teaches him to leave the flour package alone."

Danny, Lindsay and Lucy would be staying over the weekend and sleep in the old guestroom that was now the nursery. Horatio had cleaned out the room and put the twins' cribs in his and Mac's bedroom instead; in the guest room there was an inflatable double bed and a travelling crib that Mac and Horatio sometimes used away from home. While Mac and Danny put the luggage in the guestroom, Lindsay joined Horatio in the kitchen with the kids.

"Hi Lindsay." Horatio said.

"Hi Horatio, are you baking a cake?"

"Yes, if only Noah would let me finish." Horatio said.

Horatio told Lindsay that Noah had been clinging to his father's leg all morning and refused to let go. When he eventually got tired of that he had decided to steal the flour only to have it drop over him instead; which explained why the boy was now covered in it.

"You don't want a cake Noah?" Lindsay asked.

Noah shook his head and then went to the living room to watch cartoon. Caylee kept an eye on Lucy who was asleep in the baby seat. Lindsay helped Horatio bake the cake, while Mac and Danny entertained the kids.

**-I-**

Unfortunately not everyone from the New York team could come down to Miami to celebrate the twins' birthday, but they had all sent presents down to them. Not everyone on the Miami team could come either; Calleigh and Eric had won a cruising trip and had had no choice but to go, since the date was set months earlier, but they too had sent presents to Caylee and Noah.

The guests arrived just in time for some lunch. They started out with singing to Caylee and Noah and then eat. Caylee seemed uninterested in all the presents in the living room, but Noah had noticed them and kept glancing at them all the time; just waiting for the moment when he could open them. Caylee was too busy trying to feed Lucy with some help from Lindsay.

"So, when is baby number three coming?" Frank asked.

Horatio rolled his eyes. He and Mac had said that there would be no more kids after Caylee and Noah, although some days they were thinking about maybe having another baby in two or three years. Of course Frank couldn't help but to tease Horatio and Mac about it; he knew how much they both loved kids and something told him that even if they said that there would be no more, sooner or later Horatio would get knocked up again.

"Baby?" Noah asked.

"No, no baby." Mac said and Noah shrugged.

"We could get a pet instead." Mac said.

"You have one." Frank said.

"Yeah, but I mean another pet. Another cat or maybe a dog."

"No, no and no." Horatio said, "If we get another cat Elvis will teach it to misbehave just like he does. A dog will either eat Elvis or Elvis will eat it, depending on how big it is."

"My sister has a cat and two months ago she got a Chihuahua." Alexx said, "One day she came home and found that her cat had the dog's tail in her mouth; there was blood everywhere and the poor dog was dead."

"The cat killed the dog?" Ryan asked.

"Yep, the cat was twice as big as the dog." Alexx chuckled, "Yesterday they got a Golden Retriever instead."

"That's a family dog." Mac said and glanced at his lover.

"No more pets." Horatio said.

Mac grinned. The truth was that he didn't want another pet either. It was hard enough as it was to have Elvis and two toddlers. They didn't need a dog to take care off too and definitely not another cat. Not all cats were like Elvis, but they weren't sure how Elvis would get along with another cat either so it was best not to get one.

"Just wait until Caylee gets older and wants a pony; she'll do that innocent look that Horatio does and get one." Frank said.

"You mean the look that only Alexx and Mac can resist?" Danny asked.

"Yes. Caylee already knows how to look like that. Noah doesn't need to do it; he just starts crying a little and gets what he wants anyway." Frank said.

"Hey, we know how to say no." Mac said and then mumbled, "At least sometimes."

"And besides she may not like a pony." Horatio said, "I think the animal lover is Noah."

"So then he'll want a pony instead." Ryan said.

"You could buy him one of those small ones." Lindsay said, "The ones that are so small they can fit inside a house."

"Just imagine waking up in the morning and have a horse breathe in your face." Danny grinned and everyone laughed.

"Never happening." Mac and Horatio said.

After lunch it was time to open presents; the twins' got toys and clothes. Caylee got a princess outfit that she absolutely loved; she was most certainly a girly girl in many ways. Noah got a farm set with larger animal toys. Then they got some cars, stuffed animals, and a big puzzle each where the pieces were almost as big as themselves. And of course almost all the toys made sounds which they loved very much and it didn't take long before Lucy joined in as well.

"She really loved the tiara." Ryan said, "I was worried that she wouldn't like it."

Ryan had been the one to buy the princess outfit to Caylee and a big toy phone that had over twenty different sounds to Noah. Caylee had refused to take the tiara off since she had gotten it.

"Well, she is a little princess." Mac smiled, "You people bought noisy toys on purpose didn't you?"

"Of course." Alexx grinned.

"When I was a kid my grandmother gave me a toy phone as well; the on button had gotten stuck so it didn't stop making sounds until my father took the batteries out." Lindsay said.

"I bet he had to unscrew the lock over the batteries first too." Mac said.

"Absolutely." Lindsay grinned, "It drove him and mom crazy."

**-I-**

Later that night almost everyone was asleep; Caylee and Noah slept in their cribs at the foot of Mac and Horatio's bed, while the Messer family was upstairs in the guest room. Mac and Horatio were snuggled closely together.

"Can you believe a year has passed already?" Mac asked.

"No. Soon they'll be teenagers yelling at us that we're stupid and old fashioned." Horatio said.

"We probably are a little older fashioned sometimes." Mac smiled.

"Well, we're part of an older generation so, yeah we probably are."

They glanced towards the cribs and grinned. Caylee was clutching her tiara and Noah was holding on to his toy elephant.

"Time moves too fast." Horatio yawned.

"Well, we could always have five or six more children." Mac grinned.

"You're not the one that has to carry them or push them out." Horatio mumbled.

"No, I have to experience your mood swings and hormones." Mac chuckled.

"We'll talk about having more babies another day." Horatio said and yawned again, "Good night.

"Good night, love." Mac whispered and kissed the redhead before closing his eyes and snuggling closer to him.

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	37. Chapter 37

**Thanks very much for the reviews!**

It felt quite good that one child wasn't a hyperactive mischievous little, lovely "monster". So while Horatio and Mac almost always had to keep an eye on 18-month old Caylee, they could be quite sure that Noah was calmly entertaining himself with crayons or his plush elephant. Caylee had always been the more energetic one, but Noah would turn into a hyperactive kid as well if the water sprinkler was turned on. Of course while his parents were trying to stop Caylee from misbehaving Noah had all the time in the world to do it instead. _Mostly_ neither he nor Caylee would misbehave since they knew what they could and could not do most of the time; but when chance arrived and they were in the mood... then their fathers would certainly have a hectical day.

"Come on little man, this new shirt will look good on you." Mac said and tried to hold Noah still so he could dress him, "Just this one day please wear it."

Noah giggled and tried to squirm away from his father, but Mac grabbed his arm and let the boy fight for a while before surrendering.

"Today is a big day for us." Mac said.

"Day." Noah grinned.

"Yes a big day; an important day."

It was time for the barbeque and both the Miami and the New York team were coming to the beach house. The teams' had recently resumed their interrogations about what exactly the barbeque was all about since they had received their invitations seven months ago. Mac and Horatio had refused to tell them.

When Noah was dressed he could join his sister outside in the backyard where Horatio was watching as he was setting the table on the back porch. He and Mac were dressed extra nice, but still casually enough that their friends wouldn't get suspicious. They wanted their day to have a relaxed atmosphere so there was no need for more formal clothing.

"Caylee needs a haircut." Horatio said, "In a few months her hair will reach her behind."

Both Caylee and Noah had the same red hair they had had since they were born. Noah's hair was cut on a more regular basis then Caylee's since the young girl hated to do it. However, her parents felt that if they didn't cut it soon it would eventually reach her feet and that was just too long.

"Well, last time I took her to get her hair cut she didn't talk to me for two days." Mac said, "This time you do it."

"Sure. I can probably make her talk to me by bribing her with candy." Horatio smirked.

"Horatio Caine! Bribing your own daughter." Mac gasped in pretend shock.

"What's wrong with that?" Horatio grinned.

Mac was about to say something when the doorbell rang. He went to open and found his entire old team outside and Calleigh and Eric as well. He let them all in and it didn't take long before Caylee and Noah came running. Caylee was, as always, more interested in saying hi to one-year-old Lucy than anybody else, but Noah was waiting for one person and one person only; Uncle Don.

"Hi buddy." Don smiled and picked up Noah, "You miss me huh?"

"Don." Noah grinned and gave his uncle a hug.

"Looks like I am on top of the pedestal." Don smirked at Mac.

"For now." Mac said.

Everyone joined Horatio on the back porch and Horatio started making food. He got help from Sheldon and Sid as well and it turned out that Sid became the king of the grill since the meat was made best when he did it.

"Isn't this women's job?" Horatio joked.

"Take that back!" Calleigh gasped.

"Did he just say what I think he said?" Stella asked and paused for a while, "Well, he's right."

"Yeah, only a woman can made food the right way." Lindsay said, "Men are useless when it comes to cooking."

"That's why women should do it." Horatio grinned, everyone knew he was only joking.

Only a few minutes later the rest of the Miami team arrived. As they waited for the food to get done they watched as Caylee tried to help Lucy walk without support and Noah filled a bucket with water and tried to pour it over his sister; unfortunately for him the bucket was too heavy for him to carry.

**-I-**

"Sid you should be a chef." Frank said, "This is the best beef I've ever had."

"Thank you." Sid smiled.

The food had tasted excellent for everyone. Sid had proved that he could cook extremely well and had been complimented about it several times during dinner.

"Stella, you're the godmother so you're on diaper duty." Mac said and handed Noah over to her.

"Hey! Frank is the godfather." Stella said, "Shouldn't he be on diaper duty too?"

"He will be when Caylee needs to change." Mac grinned, "She has the worst diapers so we saved her for him."

"That's nice of you." Frank said, "I have three kids so I consider myself to be a veteran when it comes to diaper changing."

"Remember that when you've done it to Caylee." Horatio said.

Stella didn't mind changing a diaper and she took Noah to the bathroom. She knew that Mac was also on diaper duty since he was the godfather of Lucy. Just as Stella had gotten Noah's diaper off Mac joined her with Lucy.

"Danny made you do it, huh?" Stella smirked.

"Yeah, I forgot that I too am a godfather." Mac said.

Noah made the diaper change as difficult as he could for Stella; by constantly trying to roll over and grabbing his toes. When Stella tried to stand him up instead and do it that way, he refused to stand.

"Good luck." Mac grinned when he was done with Lucy.

"You're just testing me aren't you little man?" Stella smiled.

With daddy gone Noah finally gave up and let Stella put on his new diaper. He then hugged her and Stella's heart melted.

"Oh, you're going to make me cry if you don't stop being such a cute kid." Stella grinned, "Let's get back to the party."

An hour later the doorbell rang and Horatio went to open as Mac stood up and cleared his throat.

"I know you all have been desperate to know why we sent out invitations to this barbeque seven months ago." Mac smiled, "And the reason for that was so that everyone could make sure that they got time off for this and be here."

"Oh my god." Alexx gasped, "I get it now."

"I'm sure you do." Mac said, just then Horatio came back with an elderly man behind him that was a priest.

Their friends gasped as they realized what Mac was going to tell them.

"We decided quite a long time ago to get married, but we wanted to have a small wedding with only our closest friends present." Mac said, "We also wanted to keep it a secret until it was time."

"That time is now." Horatio grinned.

"Oh this so great!" Calleigh exclaimed, "You're really getting married now?"

"Yes, so if everyone wants to walk further down the beach we have some chairs and an altar there waiting for us." Mac grinned.

Their friends wasted no time as they stood up. Frank grabbed Caylee and Ryan grabbed Noah as they walked towards the altar with the two grooms and the priest. The priest was a friend of Horatio's, Father Jonathan. Horatio and Mac would only have a quick ceremony without best men and then get back to their house and celebrate it.

"I need tissues." Alexx said, "I'm going to cry."

Alexx's husband gave her a tissue. Everyone got seated and those with cameras quickly got ready to take pictures.

"I can't believe they tricked us." Adam said, "I would never be able to keep a secret like this for such a long time."

"I can't believe we never figured it out." Ryan said, "And I call myself a CSI."

"I've been a cop for almost thirty years and even I didn't figure it out." Frank chuckled.

"Wait! We don't have any wedding gifts!" Lindsay said.

"All of you being here is enough." Horatio smiled, as he joined his husband-to-be at the altar.

Father Jonathan started out with saying a few words, then Mac and Horatio put their rings on each other's fingers; they were made of white gold. Everyone smiled as Caylee jumped off from Frank's lap and ran to Horatio. He picked her up and she decided to play with his hair; neither Mac nor Horatio minded though. Mac glanced at Ryan whom was holding Noah; the young boy was sleeping and drooling all over Ryan's hand. Ryan was trying to ignore it and his OCD of washing his hands; he was after all quite used to baby drool after he had been babysitting both Noah and Caylee more than once.

"Horatio, do you take Mac for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?" Father Jonathan asked.

"I do." Horatio grinned.

"I do!" Caylee squealed and everyone laughed.

"And Mac, do you take Horatio for your lawful wedded husband, to live in the holy estate of matrimony? Will you love, honor, comfort, and cherish him from this day forward, forsaking all others, keeping only unto him for as long as you both shall live?" Father Jonathan smiled.

"I do." Mac grinned.

"I now pronounce you husband and husband; you may kiss."

Horatio pulled Mac in for a kiss and it was only interrupted when Caylee reminded them that she was still there. Everyone cheered for their friends and then hurried to hug them. Horatio and Mac thanked Father Jonathan for agreeing to wed them.

"It's my pleasure." Father Jonathan said, "I've known you for many years Horatio and I have never seen you happier with anyone else than with Mac."

"Thank you." Horatio grinned.

**-I-**

A few hours had passed since the wedding and everyone was celebrating it. The kids were asleep in the guest bedroom since it was getting quite late. When Horatio came back from the bathroom for the fourth time since the barbeque had begun Mac pulled him aside.

"You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, we both know this will continue for a while." Horatio said, "I'm fine."

"I know, I just worry." Mac grinned and kissed his lover.

"Horatio, get over here and tell us how you know Artie!" Frank called.

Horatio joined Frank, Sheldon, Eric, Adam and Lindsay by the table; apparently Eric had told them about a case several years ago when Horatio had sent him to Artie's Adult Playground. Horatio had known Artie since he had moved to Miami; he had investigated a robbery on Artie's store and they had quickly become friends. Artie wasn't at the barbeque since he was visiting his mother in Canada.

"Does Mac know that you know him?" Sheldon asked.

"Of course." Horatio said.

"Where do you think they get all their sex stuff from?" Frank asked.

"What sex stuff?" Lindsay asked.

"There is no sex stuff." Horatio blushed.

The others just chuckled as Horatio blushed and Horatio quickly changed the subject. In the meantime Mac was dragged away from the others by Alexx and Stella. They looked worried and Mac frowned confused at them.

"What?" He asked.

"Is Horatio okay?" Alexx asked.

"We saw him hurry to the bathroom for the fourth time now and we're worried." Stella explained, "He looks a little pale too."

"He's fine." Mac smiled, "Absolutely fine."

"Mac." Alexx said, "You can't fool us. Especially not after you kept your wedding plans a secret."

"I promise that he's fine." Mac said.

Alexx and Stella looked at him as if to say "try again" and Mac sighed. He knew he shouldn't tell them because he and Horatio wanted to keep it a secret for just a few more weeks, but he knew that the two women wouldn't give up until he told them the truth.

"Alright, just promise me not to tell anyone else; we wanted to wait to tell anyone for another month." Mac said.

"He's sick?" Stella asked.

"No, no." Mac grinned, "He's pregnant; two months."

Alexx and Stella squealed and pulled Mac in for a hug. The others looked at them like they were crazy before returning to their previous conversations.

"Calm down." Mac chuckled, "It's still a secret, just until he's passed the first trimester."

"Oh Frank is going to tease him so much when he finds out." Alexx said, "Just six months ago you two said that you were having no more kids."

"Well, um..." Mac blushed, "Horatio kind of forgot to pick up his new male birth control pills and I forgot to use a condom and um..."

"Wait, two months, oh that means he got knocked up when you were on your weekend trip to Orlando to visit a friend." Stella said, "How did you find time to have sex with two kids and only one hotel room?"

"We didn't do it when the twins' were around." Mac blushed, "The twins' were asleep and we snuck away for a while, like to the bathroom or an empty corner in the hallway; besides we know how to be quiet."

"Are you happy?" Alexx asked.

"Very." Mac grinned, "We both kind of freaked out at first, but then it just felt right."

"Well, congratulations." Alexx said and hugged her friend again.

The pregnancy managed to stay a secret for another month until Horatio and Mac told their friends. Frank teased Horatio for weeks about it, but Horatio didn't mind. Caylee and Noah didn't seem to understand much of what was going to happen although they would point at Horatio's belly and say "baby" sometimes.  
>Horatio and Mac moved to a bigger house since they realized they didn't have enough room for three children. The new house was a lot bigger, had a bigger back yard with a fence around it since it was also closer to the beach.<p>

Seven months after the wedding and just three weeks after the twins' second birthday Horatio and Mac had a new family member as another redheaded girl was born with name Audrey Taylor Caine.

_**The End!**_

_**Please review!**_

**Now I will do as I promised my readers months ago; to continue with my Ryan/Horatio story, it's been renamed from "I love and need you" to "Ryan and Horatio". Although before I continue with it I will take a short break. **


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